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J.S.MILLS, 


Zihravy  of  tire  tlreolo^ical  Seminary 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Rufus  H.  LeFevre 

Bxsars 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


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MISSION  WORI 


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JUN  11  1952 


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Sierra  Leone,  West  Africa 


The  rev.  J.  S.  MILLS,  D.D 

BISHOP  OF  THE  UNITED   BRETHREN   IN   CHRIST 


iftemotial  BDltlon 


DAYTON,  OHIO 
tJNiTED  Brethren  Publishing  House 


Copyright,  1898 

By  the   United  Brethren  Publishing  Hou.te. 

All  righ/.^  re.served. 


8rt)fs  JSooft  fs  iietifcateft 

to  tlje 

H^eniorj  o£  ©tir  5l^erofc  Beati 

W&i>o  lie  sleeping  fit  ^frfc's  sunnj  lanU; 

snti  to  t!)osc  b)t)o  tofll  tafte  tip  anli 

carrj  fortoaii  t|)e  toorfe  so 

noblj  begun. 


PREFACE 


For  over  forty  years  a  band  of  devoted  men  and 
women  have  been  toiling  in  an  obscure  field  on  the 
west  coast  of  Africa.  In  their  schools  they  have  trained 
for  usefulness  several  hundred  of  the  youth,  and  have 
gathered  over  six  thousand  converts  into  native  churches. 

Early  in  May,  1898,  a  heathen  mob,  displeased  at  the 
rapid  progress  of  Christian  civilization,  and  angry  over 
the  just  requirements  of  the  British  Government,  swept 
like  a  fierce  hurricane  over  this  mission  field  and  the 
surrounding  country,  murdering  seven  American  mis- 
sionaries, many  native  pastors,  and  several  hundred  con- 
verts, and  burning  the  mission  property. 

This  little  volume  tells  the  story  by  those  personally 
familiar  with  it.  It  also  gives  assurance  that  neither  the 
burning  fevers  of  the  climate  nor  the  blazing  fagots  and 
fiercer  fury  of  the  "  war  boys"  shall  prevent  our  complet- 
ing the  divinely  appointed  task  in  Sierra  Leone.  Rather 
will  this  baptism  of  fire  and  blood  lead  our  people  to  a 
nobler  consecration,  and  prepare  the  way  among  the 
heathen  for  a  more  fruitful  harvest  to  be  gathered  into 
the  Master's  garner. 

As  I  have  passed  through  these  pages  I  have  lived 
over  again  happy  days  spent  in  this  mission  field.  Once 
more,  I  have  enjoyed  the  courtesies  of  the  gentlemanly 
British  officers  —  in  the  governor's  palace  and  in  the 
police  captain's  mud  hut — so  refreshing  in  this  dark 
land;  again,  I  have  renewed  the  joys  of  the  glorious 
friendships  of  this  hei'oic  baud  of  missionaries,  American 
and  native,  all  dear  to  me  as  my  own  kindred.    If  the 


VI  PREFACE 

work  shall  awaken  a  greater  interest  in  Africa,  and  help 
to  send  the  gospel  to  its  perishing  people,  this  is  the  only 
reward  I  ask:  all  the  profits  accruing  from  the  sale  of  this 
book  are  devoted  to  the  mission-work  of  which  it  treats. 

In  the  si)elliiig  of  African  names  I  have  tried  to  fol- 
low the  example  of  the  British  goverument,  believing 
that  this  will  soon  become  standard  for  English-speaking 
people. 

In  the  making  of  this  book  I  have  done  little  more 
thau  furnish  the  thread  upon  which  the  beautiful  pearls 
of  thoughts  and  sentiments  of  others  are  strung.  All  its 
defects  are  mine,  all  its  good  qualities  are  theirs. 

P'or  the  beautiful  style  in  which  it  is  issued  I  am 
indebted  to  the  taste  and  enterprise  of  the  Manager  of 
the  United  Brethren  Publishing  House ;  and  for  the  read- 
ing of  the  proof  and  the  preparation  of  the  table  of  con- 
tents I  am  under  obligations  to  the  proof-readers  of  the 
same  house. 

J.  S.  Mills. 
Denver,  Colo.,  August  1,  1898. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Preface v 

PART    I. 

Africa  in  General,  and  Sierra  Leone  in  Particular. 

chapter  i. 

1.  Physical  Geography  —  Location  of  Africa,  Size,  Re- 

lief, Rivers  and  Lalies,  Climate,  Flora,  Fauna, 
Minerals 13-19 

2.  Political  Geography  — Berlin   Conference,  Posses- 

sions of  the  French,  the  English,  Germany,  the 

Congo  Free  State,  Portugal,  Italy,  Spain,  Morocco. .  19-23 

3.  Native  Africans  — Races,  Languages,  the  Hamitic 

Family,  Semitic  Family,  Fulah  and  Nuba  Groups, 
Negro  Systems,  the  Bantu  Family,  Hottentots  and 
Bushmen,  Religions 24-30 

4.  Africa's  Six  Great  Curses  — Paganism,  Mohamme- 

danism, Polygamy,  War,  Rum,  Slavery 30-35 

5.  Mission  Work  in  Africa— The  Bible 35-36 

CHAPTER  II. 

1.  Sierra  Leone  in  General-  Sierra  Leone,  Freetown, 

the  Peninsula,  Manner  of  Life,  Carrying  Trade, 
Animals,  Flora,  Protectorate  of  Sierra  Leone,  Edu- 
cational Institutions 37-43 

2.  Sierra   Leone   Tribes  — Colony   Proper,    Freetown, 

Military  Road,  Bethany  Cottage,  Sherbros,  Bul- 
loms,  Lokkohs,  Susus,  Limbas,  Kurankoes,  Temni, 
Mendi,  Kroomen 43-51 

3.  Native  Society,  Languages,  Customs— Society,  Lan- 

guages, Domestic  Customs,  Marriage  Relations, 
Dress,  Names  of  Children,  Houses,  Towns,  Relig- 
ious Customs,  Gods,  Spirits,  Survival  of  the  Soul, 
Witchcraft,  Legal  Customs.  Means  of  Determining 

Guilt  or  Innocence,  Penalty  for  Stealing 51-tj7 

vii 


Vlll  CONTENTS 


4.    Miscellaneous  Matters— Secret  Societies,  Money, 

Dancing,  Music,  Diseases,  Hospitality 67-72 

CHAPTER  III. 

Our  Missionary  Work  in  Sierra  Leone— First  Steps, 
American  Missionary  Association,  Lease  at 
Shaingay  Secured,  History  of  the  Caulkers,  Wo- 
man's Missionary  Association,  Mendi  Mission 
Obtained,  First  Results  Discouraging,  African 
Conference  Assignments  for  1898 73-82 

CHAPTER   IV, 

Difficulties  to   be   Met— Climate,   Mode   of  Travel, 

Dangers  and  Difficulties  of  Missionary  Life _    83-89 

CHAPTER  V. 

Mechanical,  Agricultural,  and   Medical  Work— 

Natives'  Ease  of  Learning,  Native  Farming,  Indus- 
trial Education  Needed,  Medical  Treatment  for 
tlieNatives,  Sickness  and  Witches.Sick  Abandoned         90-98 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Some  Work  Being  Done  — Home  for  Girls  at  Rotufunk, 
Deplorable  Condition  of  Little  Girls,  What  They 
are  Taught,  Clark  Training  School,  Course  of 
Study,  Languages  and  Folk-lore,  "De  Spider  an' 
de  People  What  Whay  dey  Walker, "  Devils,  Spi  rits .       99-112 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Open  Door  — Preaching  of  the  Word  Welcomed  in 
Sierra  Leone,  Few  Christian  Missionaries,  Our 
Church  Unmistakably  Led  to  this  Colony 113-119 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Massacre—  Mutterings  of  Discontent,  Sierra  Leone 
Wars,  Causes  of  the  Uprising,  the  Porroh,  Protec- 
torate Established,  Plan  of  Attack,  Implements  of 
War,  Situation  at  Shaingay,  Bonthe,  Avery,  Other 
Stations,  Rotufunk,  What  of  the  Future,  Our 
Martyred  Friends 120-lM 


CONTENTS  IX 
PART  11. 
Memoirs  of  Our  Heroic  Dead  in  Sierra  Leone,  West  Africa. 

PAGE. 

List  of  Our  M artyes  in  the  Missionary  Cause 137 

Isaac  Newton  Cain.    Personal  Impressions,  by  Alfred  T. 

Howard 138 

Mary  Elizabeth  Mutch  Cain.    By  Uncle  Stewart  Forbes. ..  144 

Mary  C.  Archer.    By  Rev.  Byron  J.  Clark 150 

Marietta  Hatfield.    By  Rev.  Z.  T.  Hatfield 153 

Ella  Schenck 162 

LOWRY  A.  AND  Clara  B.  McGrew.    By  Rev.  W.  L.  Bunger 

and  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  D.D.    Personal  Reminiscences  of 

the  Author , 166 

Recollections.    By  Mrs.  Lida  M.  West 171 

Tribute  of  Rev.  J.  R.  King 178 

Rev.  Richard  N.  West  and  His  Work  In  Africa.    By  Rev. 

Isaac  N.  Cain 180 

Frances  Williams.    By  Mary  Nease  Keister 186 

Elma  Bittle.    By  Mary  Bittle 203 

Letter  from  a  Mission  Boy 219 

Letter  from  A  Mission  Girl '. 220 

Joseph  Gomer.    By  Rev.  William  McKee,  D.D 221 

APPENDIX. 

Appendix  — Journey  through  the  Mendi  Country,  Preser- 
vation of  Health  in  the  Tropics,  Books  of  Refer- 
ence, Missionaries,  and  Terms  of  Sei'vice  of  Parent 
and  Woman's  Board 233-240 


PART  I 

AFRICA    IN    GENERAL   AND   SIERRA 
LEONE   IN    PARTICULAR 


PART  1 

AFRICA    IN    GENERAL    AND    SIERRA 
LEONE   IN    PARTICULAR 


CHAPTEK  I. 
1.  Physical  Geography. 

Location  of  Africa.  Africa  lies  south  of  Eu- 
rope and  southwest  of  Asia.  It  is  connected  with 
Asia  by  a  narrow  piece  of  land  lying  south  of  the 
east  end  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  but  since  the 
Suez  Canal  cuts  through  this  isthmus  it  may  be 
said  to  be  entirely  surrounded  by  water — the  Medi- 
terranean Sea  on  the  north ;  the  Suez  Canal,  Ked 
Sea,  Gulf  of  Aden,  and  Indian  Ocean  on  the  east ; 
and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  south  and  west.  The 
equator  passes  through  it  at  an  almost  equal  dis- 
tance from  its  northern  and  southern  ends. 

This  continent  extends  about  thirty-five  degrees 
south  and  thirty-seven  north  of  the  equator,  and 
because  of  its  location,  in  its  lowlands  and  deserts 
it  is  the  hottest  continent  on  our  globe. 

Size.  Africa  is  seventy-two  degrees  (about 
five  thousand  miles)  long  from  Cape  Bon  in  the 

13 


14  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

north  to  Cape  Agiilhas  in  the  south;  and  from 
Cape  Gnardafui  in  the  east  to  Cape  Verde  in  the 
west,  it  is  ahnost  sixty-eight  degrees  (four  thou- 
sand and  six  hundred  miles)  wide.  Its  outline  is 
very  irregular.  It  has  few  islands,  except  the 
Madeira,  and  Canaries,  and  the  Cape  Verde  is- 
lands off  the  northwest  coast,  and  Madagascar 
Island  off  the  southeast  coast.  Africa  is  almost 
as  large  as  North  America  and  Europe  combined, 
containing  over  eleven  million  five  hundred  thou- 
sand square  miles. 

Roliof.  Africa  maintains,  as  a  continent,  a 
uniformly  high  level.  Its  average  height  is 
second  only  to  that  of  Asia.  Nowhere  do  we  see 
extensive  plains  raised  only  slightly  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  such  as  the  vast  plains  of  northern 
Asia,  or  of  the  Amazon  Valley  in  South  America. 

"Almost  everywhere,  on  penetrating  inland 
from  the  coast,  a  steep  ascent  is  soon  reached,  lead- 
ing either  over  mountain  ranges  parallel  to  the 
coast,  or  up  a  series  of  terraced  escarpments  to  a 
liigh  plateau  which  fills  up  the  greater  part  of  the 
interior.  It  is  only  where  rivers  have  worn  chan- 
nels for  themselves  through  the  higher  ground  that 
the  lowlands  stretch  any  distance  inland.  On  this 
account  Africa  has  been  likened  to  an  inverted 
saucer,  though  this  comparison  holds  good  rather 
for  the  southern  half  of  the  continent  than  as  a 
whole." — Thornton. 

"Africa,  generally  speaking,  is  a  vast,  ill-formed 
triangle.  It  has  no  peninsulas ;  it  has  almost  no 
islands,  or  bays,  or  fiords,  but  three  great  inlets, 
three  mighty  rivers,  piercing  it  to  the  very  heart, 
have  been  allocated  bv  a  kind  nature  one  to  each 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY  15 

of  its  solid  sides.  On  the  north  is  the  river  of 
the  past,  flowing  through  Egypt,  as  Leigh  Hunt 
says,  'like  some  grave,  mighty  thought  threading 
a  dream' ;  on  the  west  the  river  of  the  future,  the 
not  less  mysterious  Congo;  and  on  the  east  the 
little-known  Zambesi. 

"The  physical  features  of  this  great  continent 
are  easily  grasped.  From  the  coast  a  low,  scorched 
plain,  reeking  with  malaria,  extends  inland  in  un- 
broken monotony  for  two  or  three  hundred  miles. 
This  is  succeeded  by  mountains  slowly  rising  into 
a  plateau  some  two  or  three  thousand  feet  high, 
and  this,  at  some  hundreds  of  miles  distance,  forms 
the  pedestal  for  a  second  plateau,  four  to  five  thou- 
sand feet  high,  which  may  be  said  to  occupy  the 
whole  of  central  Africa.  It  is  only  on  the  large 
scale,  however,  that  these  are  to  be  reckoned 
plateaus  at  all.  When  one  is  upon  them  he  sees 
nothing  but  mountains  and  valleys  and  plains  of 
the  ordinary  type  covered  for  the  most  part  with 
forest." — Drummond. 

Rivers  and  Lakes.  The  great  lake  region  of 
Africa  is  found  about  the  sources  of  the  Nile  and 
south  and  west  of  these.  This  region  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  Great  Lake  region  of  ISTorth  America, 
except  that  these  African  lakes  have  three  outlets 
to  the  sea  instead  of  one,  as  in  the  case  of  our  lakes. 
Lake  Victoria,  Lake  Albert,  Lake  Albert  Edward, 
and  a  few  lesser  lakes  pour  their  waters  through 
the  ISTile,  running  northward  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea.  Lake  Tanganyika,  Lake  Bangweolo. 
and  Lake  Moero  empty  their  waters  through  the 
Congo  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  while  the  Zambesi 
drains  Lake  ISTyassa  into  the  Indian  Ocean.     The 


16  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

other  most  important  lakes  are  Leopold,  in  the  east 
side  of  Congo  State,  and  Lake  Chad,  in  the  center 
of  the  Sudan  country.  Apart  from  the  rivers  along 
the  coast  lowlands,  the  Nile  is  in  the  east,  rising 
in  the  great  lake  region,  flowing  north  into  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  is  in  many  respects  the 
greatest  and  most  interesting  river  in  the  world. 
The  Niger  is  in  the  west,  and  flows  in  a  half  circle 
into  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  draining  the  western  part 
of  the  Sudan.  Both  of  these  rivers  are  chiefly 
north  of  the  equator.  The  Congo  takes  its  rise  in 
the  great  lake  region,  and  has  its  outlet  in  the  At- 
lantic Ocean.  The  Zambesi  rises  on  the  west  side 
of  southern  Africa,  and  flows  east  into  Mozam- 
bique Channel.  In  the  extreme  southern  part  are 
found  the  Limpopo  and  Orange  rivers. 

CliinatB.  The  climate  of  a  country  is  deter- 
mined by  the  heat  and  cold,  the  drouth  and  mois- 
ture, and  the  light  and  darkness  of  that  region. 
While  Africa  lies  chiefly  within  the  tropics,  it  has 
a  great  variety  of  temperatures.  In  the  extreme 
north  and  south  the  temperature  is  so  mild  that 
these  places  are  health  resorts  as  delightful  as  any 
in  Europe.  And  even  within  the  tropics,  except 
along  the  coasts  or  in  the  sandy  deserts,  the  altitude 
of  the  land  causes  a  mild  temperature,  in  some 
places  at  times  quite  cold,  some  of  the  mountains 
in  this  region  being  covered  with  perpetual  snow. 
It  is  not  the  excessive  heat  at  any  one  time,  but  the 
constant  heat  that  destroys  the  health  of  the  white 
man,  even  on  the  west  coast. 

The  rainfall  is  excessive  throughout  the  tropics, 
in  some  places  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
inches  yearly.    In  western  Africa  the  rainy  season 


PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY  17 

is  from  the  first  of  May  x  the  last  of  October ; 
the  other  part  of  the  year  is  dry,  but  the  moisture 
is  sufficient  during  the  dry  season  for  all  purposes. 
Throughout  the  trojjics  the  day  and  the  night  are 
about  the  same  length  through  the  year. 

The  Flora.  There  is  a  wide  variety  in  the 
quantity  and  the  quality  of  vegetation  in  Africa. 
The  great  forest  regions  are  near  the  equator,  and 
mostly  on  the  west  side  of  the  continent,  as  in  the 
Congo  basin  and  on  the  Guinea  coast.  In  other 
places  are  found  grassy  prairies  dotted  over  with 
trees,  as  great  parks,  the  underbrush  kept  burned 
off  by  the  annual  fires,  while  in  still  other  regions 
vast  grass  meadows  extend  for  miles  with  few  trees. 
These  are  the  favorite  grazing  places  for  domestic 
or  wild  animals.  Some  of  the  most  useful  plants 
found  wild  in  Africa  are  the  date-palm,  oil-palm, 
india-rubber  trees  and  vines,  the  cotton-plant,  the 
indigo-plant,  the  ginger-plant,  the  coffee,  the  cola, 
and  the  gum-copal  trees.  In  general,  the  coast  belt 
is  covered  with  rank,  yellow  grass,  or,  as  along  the 
streams,  with  a  dense  jungle  of  brush  and  vines,  to 
which  add  along  the  Guinea  coast  forests  of  fine 
trees. 

"The  mountainous  plateaus,  both  of  them,  are 
clothed  with  endless  forests — not  grand,  um- 
brageous forests  like  the  forests  of  South  America, 
not  matted  jungles  like  the  forests  of  India,  but 
with  thin,  rather  weak  forests,  with  forests  of  low 
trees,  whose  half-grown  trunks  and  scanty  leaves 
offerno  shade  from  the  tropical  sun.  The  indiscrim- 
inate praise  formerly  lavished  on  tropical  vegeta- 
^  tion  has  received  many  shocks  from  recent  travel- 
ers.    In  Kaffirland,  south  Africa,  I  have  seen  one 

2 


18  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

or  two  forests  fine  enough  to  justify  the  enthu- 
siasmofthe  arm-chair  word-painters  of  the  tropics; 
but  so  far  as  the  central  plateau  is  concerned,  the 
careful  judgment  of  Mr.  Alfred  Russel  Wallace 
respecting  the  equatorial  belt  in  general  applies 
almost  to  this  whole  area :  Tlowers  there  are, 
small  and  great,  in  endless  variety ;  but  there  is 
no  display  of  flowers,  no  gorgeous  show  of  flow- 
ers in  the  mass,  as  when  the  blazing  gorse  and 
heather  bloom  at  home  [in  Scotland].'  " — Drum- 
mond. 

Tbe  Fauna.  Among  the  animals  found  here  are 
the  giraffe,  the  hippopotamus,  the  elephant,  the 
antelope,  the  lion,  the  leopard,  hyena,  jackal, 
luiffalo,  zebra,  wild  ass,  gorilla,  the  chimpanzee  in 
certain  parts,  and  monkeys  everywhere. 

Many  kinds  of  reptiles  are  found,  as  the  croco- 
dile, viper,  adder,  black-snake,  and  boa-constrictor. 
Not  only  the  ostrich,  but  many  other  large  as 
well  as  small  birds  are  found  here.  Insects  are  met 
in  great  abundance.  Among  these  the  locusts  arc 
in  the  north,  and  the  tsetse  is  the  deadly  enemy  of 
domestic  animals  in  the  south.  The  scorpion  is 
found  everwhere.  The  ants  are  numerous.  In 
some  forests  they  throw  up  earth-heaps,  a  few  rods 
apart,  larger  than  the  Dutch  ovens  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  not  unlike  these  ovens  in  appearance. 
In  other  places  a  black  line  of  them  crosses  our 
path.  The  black  boys  always  leap  these  lines  with 
a  run  and  a  jump.  The  unwary  traveler  who  comes 
onto  these  ants  also  leaps,  but  not  for  joy,  for  the 
bite  of  these  insects  is  as  painful  as  a  bee-sting. 
The  white  ant,  or  termite  (or  bug-a-bug,  as  the 
natives  call    it),  eats    up    whatever    dead    wood. 


PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY  19 

leather,  or  cloth  falls  in  its  way.  As  the  earth- 
worm is  not  found  in  Africa,  Drnmmond  thinks 
this  ant  performs  the  work  of  the  former  by  stir- 
ring up  the  soil,  and  thus  aiding  the  growth  of 
vegetation.  He  regards  it  also  as  the  vegetable 
scavenger  of  that  country,  eating  up  the  decaying 
plants,  and  limbs  and  trunks  of  trees.  This  ac- 
counts for  the  fact  that  many  of  the  forests  are  as 
free  from  fallen  timber  as  a  cultivated  orchard, 
though  I  have  seen  in  western  Africa  many  a  fallen 
tree  with  the  appearance  of  having  lain  there  for 
years. 

Minerals.  Salt  is  found  in  many  places,  while 
in  others  it  is  so  scarce  as  to  command  a  very  high 
price.  Iron  is  quite  abundant  on  the  west  coast, 
and  is  widely  distributed  over  the  continent.  Gold 
is  found  in  great  quantities  in  south  Africa,  and 
in  paying  amounts  on  the  Gold  Coast  and  in  the 
upper  ISTiger  Valley.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
continent  diamonds  have  been  obtained  in  the  re- 
cent past  in  such  quantities  as  to  greatly  reduce  the 
price  of  these  precious  stones. 

2.  Political  Geography. 
The  Berlin  Conference,  in    1884-85,    changed 

the  political  face  of  Africa,  though  the  work  of 
dividing  it  between  European  nations  began 
shortly  before  this  date.  Formerly  civilized  na- 
tions went  to  this  continent  for  Africans ;  near  the 
close  of  this  century  they  have  gone  there  for 
Africa,  and  they  now  control  almost  the  whole  of  it. 
The  French  have  secured  the  largest  area.  Its 
largest  piece  of  territory  lies  west  of  a  line  dra^vn 
from  the  inner  an^e  of  the  Gulf  of  Guinea  north 


20  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

to  Lake  Chad,  thence  to  Cape  Bon  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  includes  all  that  vast  region,  except 
Morocco  and  a  Spanish  territory  lying  along  the 
coast  southeast  of  the  Canary  Islands,  and  a  small 
piece  of  Portuguese,  and  another  of  German  ter- 
ritory, also  Liberia,  and  certain  British  possessions 
along  the  west  coast.  This  region  includes  the 
greater  part  of  the  Sahara  Desert,  and  it  will,  no 
doubt,  cost  more  to  administer  it  than  all  its  in- 
come for  all  time  to  come.  A  better  part  of  her 
spoils  is  French  Congo,  lying  west  and  north  of 
the  Congo  and  Ubangi  rivers,  and  extending  from 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Congo  River  with  an  irregu- 
lar west  boundary  to  Lake  Chad.  This  is  a  very 
fine  country  extending  into  the  heart  of  the  conti- 
nent. Add  to  these  regions  a  little  spot  at  the  west 
end  of  the  Gulf  of  Aden,  and  the  Island  of  Mada- 
gascar, and  all  the  possessions  of  France  in  x\frica 
aggregate  three  million  three  hundred  thousand 
square  miles. 

England  comes  next  in  the  extent,  but  first  in 
the  value  of  her  possessions.  Beginning  in  the 
northeast,  England  holds  a  protectorate  relation  to 
Egypt.  South  of  Egypt  intervenes  Abyssinia,  and 
a  piece  of  unannexed  country  along  the  upper  i^ile 
between  Egypt  and  British  East  Africa.  Somali- 
land  lies  along  the  Gulf  of  Aden.  And  the  unan- 
nexed part  along  the  upper  Xile  will  probably 
soon  be  British. 

British  East  Africa  lies  along  the  White  Nile, 
and  extends  from  Fashoda  south  to  Lake  Victoria, 
and  east  to  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  west  into  the 
heart  of  the  continent.  It  is  separated  from  British 
Central  Africa  by  German  East  Africa,  and  Brit- 


POLITICAL   GEOGRAPHY  21 

ish  Central  Africa  extends  south  to  British  South 
Africa,  and  the  latter  extends  to  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  To  these  lands  add  Zanzibar  Island.  Thus, 
on  the  east  side  of  Africa  British  possessions  ex- 
tend from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  the  south  end 
of  the  continent,  with  only  two  gaps,  both  together 
less  than  one  thousand  miles  wide.  When  she 
shall  have  annexed  the  territory  along  the  Nile 
between  Berber  and  Fashoda,  her  control  will  be 
sufficiently  complete  for  a  railroad  and  a  water  line 
of  transportation  to  be  established  between  the 
north  end  and  the  south  end  of  this  great  con- 
tinent. This  is  within  the  possibilities  of  the  next 
twenty-five  years.  Add  to  this  vast  stretch  of  the 
best  part  of  Africa  the  possessions  on  the  west 
coast, — Gambia,  Sierra  Leone,  Gold  Coast,  the 
N^iger  territory,  and  Walfish  Bay, — and  it  aggre 
gates  two  million  three  hundred  thousand  square 
miles.  Of  this  W.  T.  Stead  has  recently  said :  ''All 
Africa  that  is  comfortably  habitable  by  white  men 
is  under  the  British  protection.  And  again,  every- 
thing in  Africa  that  pays  dividends  lies  within  the 
sphere  pegged  out  for  John  Bull  by  his  adventur- 
ous sons.  Wherever  in  Africa  you  find  land  in 
which  white-skinned  children  can  be  bred  and 
reared  you  will  find  it  within  the  British  zone.  And 
wherever  there  is  in  Africa  any  paying  property, 
that  also  will  be  found  in  the  same  sphere  of  in- 
fluence. All  of  Africa  that  is  habitable  [for  white 
men],  and  all  of  Africa  that  pays  its  way,  that  is 
British  Africa." 

Germany  has  nine  hundred  and  twenty-five 
thousand  square  miles  in  Africa.  German  East 
Africa  lies  between  British  East  Africa  and  Brit- 


22  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

ish  Central  Africa,  and  extends  from  the  coast  in- 
land to  Lake  Tanganyika.  German  Southwest 
Africa  lies  between  British  South  Africa  and  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  Add  to  these  Kamerun,  on  the 
west  coast,  extending  from  the  inner  angle  of  the 
Gulf  of  Guinea  north  to  Lake  Chad. 

The  Congo  Free  State  is  under  the  protection 
of  Belgium,  and  lies  in  the  basin  of  the  Congo 
River.  It  has  vast  possibilities,  and  contains  nine 
hundred  thousand  square  miles. 

Portugal  lias  Angola  on  the  west  coast,  and  this 
is  separated  from  Portuguese  East  Africa  by  Brit- 
ish Central  and  South  Africa.  When  to  this  is 
added  Portuguese  Guinea,  on  the  west  coast  north 
of  Sierra  Leone,  the  area  reaches  the  sum  of  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square  miles. 

Italy  has  a  strip  of  land  along  the  Red  Sea, 
north  of  Abyssinia,  and  another  along  the  Indian 
Ocean,  east  of  Abyssinia,  in  all  about  four  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  square  miles.  How 
long  she  can  hold  this  territory  is  in  doubt;  the 
probabilities  are  that  Abyssinia  will  soon  control 
a  part  or  all  of  it. 

Spain  has  about  two  hundred  and  fourteen  thou- 
sand square  miles  of  the  west  end  of  the  Sahara 
Desert  bordering  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  the 
Canary  Islands. 

Morocco  in  the  north,  Abyssinia  in  the  east,  the 
Boer  republics  in  the  south,  and  the  territory  lying 
between  Egypt  and  Abyssinia  on  the  east  and  the 
French  Sahara  region  on  the  west,  including 
Tripoli,  making  about  three  million  square  miles  in 
all,  are  the  only  parts  of  Africa  not  yet  annexed  bv 
some  one   of   the   nations   of  Europe ;    but    it   is 


POLITICAL    GEOGRAPHY  23 

morally  certain  that  the  portions  of  this  worth  oc- 
cupying will  soon  be  absorbed  by  England,  France, 
or  Germany,  except,  perhaps,  Abyssinia.  This 
partition  has  in  most  cases  been  effected  peace- 
fully;  but  at  this  time  (1898)  the  relations  be- 
tween England  and  France  are  much  strained  over 
their  boundaries,  both  in  the  east  and  the  west 
part  of  the  continent.  Our  s^anpathies  are  with 
England,  who  by  conquest,  commerce,  and  mis- 
sions, is  doing  more  than  any  other  nation  to  lift  up 
Africa,  and  help  her  dusky  children  to  enter  upon 
a  process  of  evolution,  the  extent  of  which  is 
known  only  to  Ilim  who  has  "made  of  one  blood 
all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times  before  ap- 
pointed, and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation." 

'*In  the  whole  of  Africa's  nearly  twelve  million 
square  miles,  there  are  probably  not  more  than  one 
million  two  hundred  thousand  whites  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  million  (or  as  others  estimate  two 
hundred  million)  natives.  Of  the  former,  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  are  in  Africa  south  of 
the  Zambesi,  and  over  three  hundred  thousand  are 
in  Algeria  and  Tunis,  leaving  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  for  all  the  rest  of  the  continent. 
South  Africa  is  the  one  section  of  the  continent 
which  may  become  the  home  of  generations  of 
Europeans,  and  in  this  respect  England  has  fared 
best  of  all  the  powers.  Of  the  continent  between 
the  tropics,  all  experience  up  to  the  present  goes 
to  show  that  it  can  never  be  colonized  by  white 
races,  but  must  be  developed  by  the  natives  under 
white  supervision." — Keltie. 


24  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

3.   The  Native  ArEiCANS. 

Races.  The  people  in  the  north  part  of  the 
continent  are  of  the  Caucasian  type,  having  broad 
skulls,  high,  straight  noses,  thin  lips,  and  hair 
slightly  curled.  Those  living  in  central  and  south- 
ern regions  are  of  the  Ethiopian,  or  black  type, 
and  have  narrow  skulls,  thick  lips,  flat  noses,  wooly 
hair,  high  cheek-bones,  and  projecting  jaws.  Ou 
this  continent  both  of  these  races  have  dark  skins, 
but  of  different  shades,  from  a  light  bro\\ai  to  an 
ebony  black. 

The  two  main  divisions  of  the  northern  races 
are  Ilamites  and  Semites.  The  latter  occupy  the 
states  bordering  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  except 
Egypt,  also  part  of  Abyssinia.  The  former  occupy 
the  Sahara  Desert,  the  north  and  the  south  side  of 
Abyssinia,  and  Egypt.  The  black  or  negro  race 
has  two  main  divisions,  kno%vn  as  the  Sudanese,  or 
negroes  proper,  and  the  Bantu  tribes.  The  former 
occupy  the  Sudan,  from  the  equator  to  about  fif- 
teen degrees  north,  and  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
east  to  the  Nile.  The  latter  tribes  occupy  all  the 
continent  south  of  the  equator,  and  are  divided  into 
many  branches. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  these 
races  remain  of  pure  blood  and  distinct  from  each 
other.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  frequently  found 
intermixed,  and  one  may  find  all  of  tliem  repre- 
sented in  a  single  community.  All  the  earliest 
stages  of  progress  are  met  here.  The  Bushmen  in 
the  extreme  south  are  savages  of  the  rawest  type, 
preying  on  whomever  or  whatever  they  can  de- 
stroy. Some  branches  of  the  Bantu s  live  wholly 
by  hunting.     The  Sudanese  do  some  farming   and 


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POLITICAL   GEOGRAPHY  25 

cattle-raising.  While  the  northern  races  are  herd- 
ers  and  traders,  these  and  the  Sudanese  manufac- 
ture some  articles  of  clothing  from  both  cotton  and 
goats'  hair;  also  they  make  a  few  articles  from 
grasses.  A  few  implements  are  made  of  iron,  and 
some  ornaments  are  made  of  gold,  silver,  and 
leather ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  natives  are  a  great  "na- 
tion of  the  unemployed."  Except  along  the  NilC; 
their  records  have  perished,  if  they  ever  did  any- 
thing worth  recording.  They  are  a  vast  quantity 
of  raw  material,  elemental  germs,  embryonic  pos- 
sibilities, now  being  brought  into  contact  with  the 
higher  races,  that  the  work  of  redemption  and  evo- 
lution may  be  accomplished. 

Languages.  The  following  description  of  the 
native  languages  is  taken  from  "Africa  Waiting," 
by  Thornton : 

"1.  The  Hamitic  Family  of  Languages  consists 
of  three  groups : 

"(1)  Egyptian,  the  ancient  languages  of  Egypt 
and  of  Moses,  with  records  on  stone  that  date  as  far 
back  as  four  thousand  years  before  the  Christian 
era.  Under  Greco-Christian  influences  this  passed 
into  Coptic,  which  has  survived  in  ecclesiastical 
use  in  the  Coptic  Church. 

"(2)  Lybian,  or  Berber,  comprising  the  indige- 
nous vernaculars  of  north  Africa  prior  to  the  Arab 
invasion,  and  is  still  used  by  the  Berbers  and 
Tuaregs.  This  group  undoubtedly  presents  the  an- 
cient languages  of  Mauretania  and  Numidia,  and 
later  on  it  was  used  by  Augustine  in  preaching.  It 
ranks,  therefore,  among  the  most  venerable  of 
human  tongues. 

*'(3)   Ethiopic  is    strangely    intermixed    with 


26  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

other  dialects  in  and  around  Abyssinia.  In  this 
group  are  found  the  languages  of  the  Somali  and 
Galla  nations  in  the  Eastern  Horn,  also  of  the  Bisli- 
arin,  Falashas,  and  Agau. 

"2.  The  Semitic  Family,  of  which  there  are 
two  branches  in  Africa  : 

"(1)  The  languages  of  Abyssinia,  especially 
Aniharic  and  Tigre.  These  are  derived  from  the 
ancient  Geez  of  southern  Arabia,  which  is  still 
the  liturgical  language  of  the  Abyssinian  Chris- 
tians. 

"(2)  Arabic,  rightly  called  one  of  the  conquer- 
ing languages  of  the  world.  'It  is  the  vehicle  of 
thought  over  the  greater  part  of  Africa,  and  the 
instrument  of  the  spread  of  Islam  throughout 
northern  Africa.'  Kabyle,  Kaffir,  and  Swahili  are 
Arab  names  in  north,  and  south,  and  east,  which 
will  long  be  remembered. 

"3.    The  Fulah  and  Nuba  Groups,    occupying 

a  position  midway  between  the  Hamite  and  the 
negro.  As  Arabic  is  the  language  of  religion,  so 
Fulah  is  the  language  of  empire.  Pure  Nubians 
now  inhabit  the  l^ile  valley,  having  most  likely 
immigrated  from  the  west  between  the  time  of 
Herodotus  and  that  of  Eratosthenes.  Both  these 
nations  are  dominant  races,  superior  in  power  and 
culture  to  lower  pagan  people.  They  are  also 
bigoted  Moslems. 
"4.    The  Negro  Systems.     The  negro  and  the 

Bushman  probably  share  the  honor  of  being  the 
original  inhabitants  of  Africa.  Certainly  the 
negro  type  appears  distinctly  on  the  monuments 
of  Egypt  five  thousand  years  ago.  There  are  three 
great    negro    dwelling-places:     (1)     the    western 


THE    NATIVE    AFRICANS  27 

coast,  (2)  the  basin  of  the  Chad,  (3)  the  upper 
Nile.  The  pure  negro  lives,  however,  in  the  west- 
ern half  of  the  Sudan.  Their  population  is  es- 
timated at  from  sixty  to  a  hundred  millions,  and 
their  distinct  languages  amount  to  about  two  hun- 
dred, in  addition  to  innumerable  dialects.  Among 
the  number  of  isolated  languages,  Hausa  is  the 
most  widely  spoken,  and  it  is  now^  the  commercial 
language  of  the  whole  Sudan.  It  has  several  points 
in  common  with  all  the  above  four  groups,  and 
therefore  holds  a  unique  position  in  northern 
Africa. 

"5.    The  Bantu  Family.  To  Dr.  Krapf  is  due 

the  merit  of  the  discovery  that  a  single  family  of 
languages  prevailed  south  of  the  equator  through- 
out Africa.  The  term  Bantu  is  a  linguistic  rather 
than  an  ethnical  expression.  The  now  extinct  or- 
ganic Bantu  language  w^as  of  the  negro  type,  but 
developed  along  peculiar  lines.'  Its  chief  feature 
consists  in  the  use  of  prefixes  instead  of  affixes;  for 
example,  aha-ntu  aha-Jculu,  or  'great  men,'  as  com- 
pared with  the  Latin  fili-a  me-a,  hon-a  et  pulchr-a. 
"There  are  now  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
languages  and  fifty-five  dialects,  in  this  family, 
known  by  name.  They  break  up  into  three  distinct 
branches,  comprising  the  Kaffir,  Bechuana,  and 
Tekeza  branches  in  the  south ;  the  tongues  of  na- 
tives of  the  Zambesi,  Zanzibar,  and  the  great  lake 
regions  in  the  east ;  and  the  languages  of  Angola, 
the  Congo,  and  the  Gaboon  in  the  west. 

"6.    The  Hottentots  and  Bushmen.    The  great 

peculiarity  of  the  Hottentot  tongue  consists  in  the 
existence  of  four  clicks,  formed  by  a  different  posi- 
tion of  the  tongue,  and  known  a^  the  dental,  lateral, 


28  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

guttural,  and  palatal  clicks.  Probably  these  were 
the  original  property  of  the  Bushmen,  whose 
speech  is  monosyllabic,  and  are  thought  by  some  to 
be  the  connecting  links  between  articulate  and  in- 
articulate sounds.  With  these  are  sometimes 
grouped  the  pigmy  tribes  scattered  throughout  the 
forest  regions  of  equatorial  Africa." 

Religions.  The  nations  of  Africa  profess  or 
observe  many  religions. 

1.  Christianity  at  an  early  period  entered  the 
Dark  Continent.  At  the  beginning  of  the  third 
century  it  had  already  been  planted  in  Alexandria 
and  in  Carthage.  It  spread  extensively  in  Egypt 
and  in  north  Africa,  until  the  beginning  of  the 
eighth  century,  when  Mohammedanism,  by  the 
power  of  the  sword,  spread  over  these  regions, 
destroying  Christianity  in  the  north,  but  leaving 
it  to  linger  on  in  Egypt  and  Abyssinia.  In  the 
former  there  are  still  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand, and  in  the  latter  over  three  millions  of 
nominal  Christians,  but  whose  environments  have 
led  them  to  a  quite  imperfect  following  of  Christ. 

2.  Jewish  proselytes  were  made  among  the 
Africans  before  the  beginning  of  Christianity. 
There  are  found  to-day  over  two  hundred  thousand 
black  Jews  in  the  western  part  of  Abyssinia,  the 
probable  descendants  of  Ethiopian  proselytes,  and 
three  hundred  thousand  in  Morocco. 

3.  Mohammedanism,  with  the  exceptions  named 
above,  now  extends  over  the  whole  of  north  Africa, 
and  into  the  Sudan  to  within  ten  degrees  north  of 
the  equator.  Of  course,  there  are  some  pagans  still 
living  in  that  region ;  neither  has  Islam  stopped  at 
the  limit  named,  but    it  is    gradually    spreading 


THE   NATIVE    AFRICANS  29 

southward ;  some  of  its  followers  are  already  south 
of  the  equator. 

4.  Paganism  may  be  said  to  be  the  religion  of 
the  natives  living  south  of  the  tenth  degree  north 
of  the  equator.  There  are  many  varieties  of  this 
system,  but  they  generally  agree  in  the  following 
points : 

(1)  One  supreme  God,  under  different  nameSj 
who  is  rarely  worshiped  or  even  referred  to. 
Whether  this  is  their  primitive  belief,  or  has  been 
learned  from  Christians  and  Mohammedans,  is  not 
certain, 

(2)  The  survival  of  the  soul  after  death  is  uni- 
versally believed.  The  other  life  is  a  continuation 
of  the  earthly  life.  Each  retains  the  same  rank  in 
the  other  world  he  held  in  this.  The  cult  of  the 
dead  consists  in  the  worship  of  ancestors,  of  chiefs 
and  deceased  sorcerers  and  priests,  and  of  the 
spirits  who  haunt  the  solitudes  of  the  forests,  or 
who  animate  nature.  This  worship  is  sometimes 
to  appease  the  anger,  and  sometimes  to  gain  the 
good  will  of  the  spirits. 

(3)  The  worship  of  living  objects  in  which  these 
spirits  are  supposed  to  dwell.  The  sacred  animals 
of  ancient  Egypt  have  their  parallel  to-day  in  the 
cow,  the  snake,  and  other  objects  of  worship. 

(4)  The  fetish  is  an  inanimate  object  suppose  i 
to  give  its  possessor  extraordinary  power,  because  a 
spirit  dwells  in  it.  In  the  form  of  charms,  amulets, 
or  gree-grees  of  various  shapes  and  substances,  this 
is  found  everj^vhere ;  and  it  exerts  a  greater  power 
over  the  blacks  than  does  their  faith  in  the  one 
God. 

(5)  Sorcerers,  priests,  and   medicine-men    are 


30  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

generally  thought  to  be  possessed  by  some  supe- 
rior spirit,  and  are,  therefore,  greatly  feared,  but 
rarely,  if  ever,  loved, 

(6)  Their  religion  does  not  seem  to  improve 
their  character,  and  their  future  lot  is  not  thought 
to  depend  on  the  life  they  live  or  the  character 
they  form  in  the  present  world. 

Idols  are  not  universal,  but  are  found  in  the 
Congo  region  and  elsewhere. 

4.  Africans  Six  Great  Curses. 

1.  Paganism  is  the  worship  of  false  gods,  and 
the  religious  and  social  systems  growing  out  of 
such  beliefs  and  practices.  As  we  have  already 
seen,  three-fourths  of  Africa  is  under  the  influence 
of  such  customs.  The  system  has  permeated  all 
classes ;  all  share  its  spirit.  It'  is  the  cry  for  light 
of  a  soul  groping  in  the  dark ;  it  is  the  tendrils  of 
the  heart,  desimed  to  clino;  to  that  which  would 
lift  man  up  into  the  sunlight,  now  binding  him 
face  downward  to  the  earth;  it  is  the  perversion 
and  abuse  of  man's  religious  nature,  thereby  bring- 
ing his  whole  nature  into  bondage  to  evil.  The 
wail  of  despair  in  the  ^%ouse  of  mourning,"  as 
well  as  the  beastly  orgies  in  the  "devil  bush" ;  the 
sacrifice  of  women  upon  the  altar  of  lust  or  traiSic, 
as  well  as  the  sacrifice  of  human  life  upon  the  altar 
of  heathen  gods;  the  low  ideals  of  their  own  life, 
as  well  as  the  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  others, 
— these  and  many  other  sad  conditions  they  owe 
chiefly  to  their  religious  systems.  The  only  rem- 
edy is  something  better  to  satisfy  their  s]tiritual 
wants  and  to  improve  their  social  state.  This  is 
found  in  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  alone. 


THE   NATIVE   AFRICANS  31 

2.  Mohammedanism.  This  system  extends 
over  nearly  one-third  of  the  continent,  has  a  strong 
grip  on  the  natives,  and,  as  a  whole,  is  better  than 
paganism.  By  its  fraternal  spirit  as  a  sort  of  free- 
masonry, its  literary  language  (Arabic),  and  its 
monotheistic  creed,  it  has  a  great  power  to  unify 
the  people  and  to  bind  them  together  wherever  it 
goes.  The  heathen  Avho  adopt  it  come  into  fel- 
lowship with  stronger  minds  and  accept  a  higher 
ideal  of  life.  They  soon  wear  better  clothes,  be- 
come more  industrious,  seek  for  more  knowledge, 
and  where  its  tenets  are  obeyed,  they  live  a  more 
sober  life.  But  while  it  is  superior  to  paganism, 
it  is  still  a  great  curse  to  Africa.  It  has  no  power 
to  regenerate  the  human  heart,  but  on  the  con- 
trary it  encourages  polygamy,  war,  and  slavery. 

"Sir  William  Muir,  who  has  studied  this  ques- 
tion so  fully,  says  very  clearly  that  polygamy, 
divorce,  and  slavery  are  perpetrated  and  main- 
tained by  that  religion,  striking  at  the  root  of  pub- 
lic morals,  poisoning  domestic  life,  and  disorgan- 
izing society.  Freedom  of  thought  is  almost  un- 
knoAvn  among  its  adherents,  for  to  abandon  Islam 
is  death ;  therefore  it  has  offered  one  of  the  most 
complete  barriers  to  Christianity.  The  sword  of 
Mohammed  [the  jehud]  is  the  most  stubborn 
enemy  of  liberty,  civilization,  and  truth  that  the 
world  has  ever  known." — Thornton. 

3.  Polygamy  is  practiced  every^vhere  in  Africa. 
The  women  are  usually  bought  of  the  parents  to 
become  the  slaves  of  the  men.  The  woman  usually 
has  no  choice  and  no  love  in  her  marriage.  A  man 
marries  as  many  wives  as  he  can  pay  for,  at  about 
fifteen  dollars  apiece  (in  west  Africa).  Before  visit- 


32  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE  ' 

ing  there,  I  thought  it  would  be  a  hardship  on  the 
wives  to  require  each  man  to  put  away  all  except 
one  on  becoming  a  member  of  church ;  but  I  am 
now  certain  that  such  an  act  means  liberty  to  the 
woman,  to  be  soon  followed  by  a  more  happy  mar- 
riage in  most  cases.  Polygamy  is  a  great  social 
curse.  In  many  cases  the  more  vigorous  women 
and  girls  are  taken  into  the  harems  of  the  chiefs 
and  headmen,  to  the  number  of  hundreds.  As  a 
result,  the  common  men  must  select  the  less  per- 
fect, less  vigorous  women  for  their  wives.  De- 
generacy of  stock  is  the  inevitable  result. 

Heathenism  is  intrenched  in  this  lust  of  the 
flesh.  Christianity,  with  its  divine  theory  of  home 
life,  will  make  slow  progress  against  it.  But 
no  compromise  should  be  made ;  for  it  is  an  ab- 
normal condition,  and  must  yield  to  the  onward 
sweep  of  human  progress. 

4.  War  is  one  of  the  great  evils  in  the  Dark 
Continent.  Its  petty  chiefs  rule  over  small  bands 
or  tribes.  The  ambition  or  anger  of  the  former,  or 
the  weakness  of  the  latter,  occasions  continual 
strife.  The  protectorate  of  foreign  powers  has 
done  much  to  remove  this  evil  by  prohibiting  the 
importation  of  arms  and  by  police  regulations 
adopted.  It  was  necessary  to  save  Africa  from  her- 
self. Human  life  here  has  been  very  cheap  for 
ages  past.  Self-restraint  and  a  higher  conception 
of  the  worth  of  a  human  being  are  necessary  to  re- 
move this  curse. 

5.  Rum  in  this  hot  climate  and  among  this 
impulsive  people  is  a  curse  too  great  to  be  fully 
understood.  It  is  a  greater  curse  here  than  in  any 
otlicr  place.      Stanley  and  others  ascribe  to  this 


.ii:£ec^  g^      ^^-^ 


THE   NATIVE   AFRICANS  33 

cause  much  of  the  fatality  to  Europeans  occurring 
here,  and  its  deadly  eifect  upon  the  African  is  even 
greater.  Joseph  Thompson  said  ten  years  ago: 
"In  these  facts  lies  the  secret  of  the  astonishingly 
small  progress  our  west  coast  settlements  have 
made."  Bishop  Ingham,  formerly  of  Sierra 
Leone,  says:  "But  for  the  rum  and  gin  and  gun- 
powder, which  tend  to  the  gendering  of  a  worse 
bondage  than  of  yore,  we  would  bid  emphatically 
Godspeed  to  the  trade  that  has  displaced  the  traffic 
in  flesh  and  blood.  If  only  these  colonies  could 
become  strong  enough  in  public  opinion  to  protect 
themselves  against  the  drink-traffic;  if  only  a  few 
more  substantial  African  merchants  can  see  their 
way  to  refuse  to  import  spirits  into  their  country; 
if  only  the  government  will  become  fully  alive  to 
the  importance  of  saving  the  native  tribes  from  en- 
feeblement  in  this  respect,  it  is  not  even  too  late  to 
erect  a  barrier  against  these  noxious  liquors."  It 
is  gratifying  to  know  that  efforts  are  being  made 
to  save  Africa  from  this,  one  of  her  greatest,  if  not 
the  greatest  of  her  foes. 

At  the  Brussels  Conference  of  1890-91  an  inter- 
national agreement  was  reached  and  an  area  from 
the  twentieth  degree  north  to  the  twenty-second  de- 
gree south  of  the  equator  and  extending  across  the 
continent  was  defined  from  which  liquors  are  to 
be  excluded.  When  this  is  thoroughly  enforced,  as 
it  is  now  in  some  places,  it  will  do  more  for  Africa 
than  all  other  good  offices  European  nations  have 
yet  effected.  It  surely  is  a  burning  shame  that 
Christian  nations  have  so  long  held  out  with  the 
right  hand  a  rum  bottle,  while  they  have  with  the 
left  hand  offered  the  Bible  to  poor  Africa. 


34  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

6.  Slavery  Livingstone  called  "the  open  sore 
of  Africa."  Drummond  called  it  'Hhe  heart-dis- 
ease of  Africa."  So  truly  has  it  depleted  her 
vitality.  It  is  not  the  domestic  slavery,  which  ex- 
ists everywhere,  but  the  traffic  in  slaves  that  makes 
this  curse.  Thanks  to  a  good  providence  it  has 
ceased  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  by  Christian  nations 
quitting  and  forbidding  the  evil  business.  But  the 
Mohammedan  Arabs  still  inflict  the  curse  upon  a 
helpless  people.  Says  Drummond :  "Sometimes 
the  Arab  traders  will  actually  settle  for  a  year  or 
two  in  the  heart  of  some  quiet  community  in  the 
remote  interior.  They  pretend  perfect  friendship ; 
they  molest  no  one;  they  barter  honestly.  They 
plant  the  seeds  of  their  favorite  vegetables  and 
fruits, — the  Arab  always  carries  seeds  with  him, — 
as  if  they  meant  to  stay  forever.  Meantime  they 
buy  ivory,  tusk  after  tusk,  until  great  piles  of  it 
are  buried  beneath  their  huts  and  all  their  barter 
goods  are  gone.  Then  one  day  suddenly  the  in- 
evitable quarrel  is  picked.  Then  follows  a  whole- 
sale massacre.  Enough  only  are  spared  from  the 
slaughter  to  carry  the  ivory  to  the  coast ;  the  grass 
huts  of  the  villages  are  set  on  fire ;  the  Arabs  strike 
camp,  and  the  slave-march,  worse  than  death,  be- 
gins." 

The  last  act  in  the  drama,  the  slave-march,  is 
the  aspect  of  slavery  which  in  the  past  has  chiefly 
aroused  the  passion  and  the  sympathy  of  the  out- 
side world ;  but  the  greater  evil  is  the  demoraliza- 
tion and  disintegration  of  communities  by  which 
it  is  necessarily  preceded. 

It  is  essential  to  the  traffic  that  the  region 
drained  by  the  slaver  should  be  kept  in  a  perfect 


THE   NATIVE    AFRICANS  35 

perpetual  political  ferment,  that,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent combination,  chief  should  be  pitted  against 
chief,  and  that  the  moment  any  tribe  threatens  to 
assume  a  dominating  strength  it  should  either  be 
broken  up  by  the  instigation  of  rebellion  among  its 
dependencies  or  made  a  tool  of  at  their  expense. 
The  interrelation  of  tribe  with  tribe  is  so  intricate 
that  it  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  effect  of 
disturbing  the  equilibrium  of  even  a  single  center. 
But,  like  a  river,  a  slave  caravan  has  to  be  fed  by 
innumerable  tributaries  all  along  its  course,  at  first 
in  order  to  gather  a  sufficient  volume  of  human 
bodies  for  the  start,  and  afterwards  to  replace  the 
frightful  loss  from  desertion,  disablement,  and 
death. 

Livingstone  says:  "It  was  wearisome  to  see 
skulls  and  bones  scattered  about  everywhere;  one 
would  fain  not  notice  them,  but  they  are  so  strik- 
ing as  one  trudges  along  the  sultry  path  that  it 
cannot  be  avoided." 

Another  says  that  you  cannot  miss  the  slaves' 
path ;  it  is  marked  by  human  bones. 

The  great  slave  markets  are  now  in  Cairo, 
Mecca,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  Turkish  Empire. 
To  supply  these  markets  the  Sudan  furnishe?  fifty 
thousand',  the  Nile  Valley  sixty  thousand,  and  east 
Africa  at  least  forty  thousand  victims  yearly.  By 
conquest,  by  commerce,  but,  most  of  all,  by  the 
work  and  influence  of  Christian  missions,  this 
great  crime  against  humanity  must  be  brought  to 
an  end. 

Mission  WorI(  in  Africa  is  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing tables  taken  from  Thornton's  book,  his  esti- 
mate of  population  being  lower  than  that  usually 
given : 


36 


MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 


Continental  Divisions. 

Popula- 
tion. 

PKOTESTAXT 
MISSIONARIES. 

Euro- 
pean. 

Ameri- 
can. 

Northern  Africa  (includ- 
ing the  Sahara) 

3,989,630 
2,127,180 
3,877,267 

1,473,710 

27,315,000 
55,920,000 
39,975,000 

7,294,000 

161 
229 
340 

456 

49 

The  c; real  Sudan 

25 

170 

Southern  Africa  (includ- 
ing British  Central  Af- 
rica)  

9 

Totals 

11,467,787 

130,504,000 

1,186 

253 

"Further:  Northern  Africa  has  one  Protestant 
missionary  to  125,000  Mohammedans.  The  Sa- 
hara has  one  Protestant  missionary  to  2,500,000 
Mohammedans.  The  Sudan  states  have  one  Prot- 
estant missionary  to  45,000,000  Mohammedans 
and  pagans.  West  Africa  has  about  one  Protestant 
missionary  to  30,000  pagans.  Central  Africa  has 
one  Protestant  missionary  to  80,000  pagans. 
Southern  Africa  has  one  Protestant  missionary  to 
14,000  pagans.  These  missionaries  come  from 
forty  Protestant  missionary  societies." 

The  Bible  or  parts  of  the  Bible,  is  now  trans- 
lated into  sixty  languages  and  dialects  of  Africa. 


CHAPTER  II. 
1.  SiEERA  Leone  in  General. 

"Sierra  Leone  is  a  British  crown  colony  on  the 
west  coast  of  Africa,  lying  between  the  seventh 
degree  and  the  tenth  degree  north  latitude,  and 
from  the  tenth  degree  of  west  longitude  to  the 
coast.  The  words  'Sierra  Leone'  signify  'lion 
hill,'  so  called  from  the  fancied  resemblance  of 
the  peninsula  to  a  lion.  The  peninsula  is  a  high 
and  rocky  headland,  thirty  miles  long  by  sea,  and 
extending  twenty  miles  up  the  Sierra  Leone  River, 
and  skirted  by  alluvial  lowlands  that  rise  grad- 
ually and  merge  into  the  hills  of  the  interior.  The 
mountains  of  Sierra  Leone  are  visible  a  long  dis- 
tance at  sea.  The  green  hills,  covered  with  trop- 
ical vegetation,  and  dotted  here  and  there  with 
pretty  villages  and  cultivated  fields,  are  a  beau- 
tiful and  welcome  sight  to  one  accustomed  to  north- 
ern latitudes.  The  colony  has  a  coast  line  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles,  and  an  estimated  hin- 
terland, or  breadth,  called  a  protectorate,  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles.  It  is  about  equal  in  area 
to  the  State  of  Ohio. 

"  Freetown,  the  capital,  is  a  heavily  fortified 
seaport  town  of  forty  thousand  inhabitants,  closely 
nestled, against  the  hills  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sierra 
Leone  River.  It  is  an  important  naval  and  coaling 
station,  and  port  of  entry  for  the  Sudan  region, 
and  is  said  to  have  the  best  harbor  on  the  west  coast 
of.  Africa.     The  town  has  broad  streets,  usually 

37 


38  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

covered  with  grass,  except  a  narrow  path  in  the 
center,  and  is  well  lighted  and  watered,  and  can  be 
well  drained.  The  buildings  are  mostly  detached 
cottages  of  wood,  mnd,  or  stone,  or  stone  below  and 
wood  above,  with  iron  or  slate  roofs. 

"The  Peninsula  of  Sierra  Leone  was  ceded  to 
Great  Britain  in  1787  by  the  native  chiefs,  as 
refuge  for  freed  negroes  from  England  and  l^ova 
Scotia,  and  those  taken  from  slavers  on  the  high  seas. 
The  colony  has  been  enlarged  to  its  present  pro- 
portion by  subsequent  treaties  with  the  chiefs  of 
neighboring  tribes.  The  more  impo^*tant  of  these 
tribes  are  the  Susu,  Gallinas,  Temni,  Mendi,  and 
Sherbro.  Constant  and  barbarous  warfare  existed 
all  along  this  coast  previous  to  the  English  occu- 
pation. To  these  tribes  the  English  now  give  pro- 
tection in  times  of  war,  in  return  for  which  these 
tribes  are  required  to  keep  open  roads  and  pay  a 
small  tax.  Three  English  commissioners,  assisted 
by  five  hundred  native  police,  with  white  officers, 
exercise  authority  and  guarantee  peace.  In  local 
and  distinctly  tribal  matters  the  authority  of  the 
native  chief  is  seldom  molested.  The  native  sys- 
tem of  government  is  very  much  like  a  patriarchal 
despotism,  and  domestic  slavery  is  common.  Be- 
side the  chiefs,  are  the  head,  or  principal  men, 
who  consult  and  advise  in  all  important  matters. 
The  general  government  of  the  colony  is  admin- 
istered by  a  legislative  and  executive  council,  con- 
sisting of  a  governor,  who  is  assisted  by  the  various 
heads  of  departments,  or  colonial  officers,  and  three 
citizens.  The  governor  is  appointed  by  the  Queen's 
secretary  of  colonies,  the  others  on  the  governor's 
approval. 


SIERRA    LEONE    IN    GENERAL  39 

"The  Manner  of  Life  in  Freetown  is  previi.il- 
inglj  eastern.  Each  follows  his  inclination,  care- 
less of  his  fellow's  wants.  To  all  appearances,  one 
steps  into  a  bygone  age  when  he  lands  upon  these 
shores.  English  manners  and  customs  have  been 
adopted  by  a  few.  The  descendants  of  the  original 
colonists  are  called  Sierra  Leoneans,  and  form  one- 
half  the  population.  These  are  the  traders,  arti- 
sans, and  professional  men,  and  are  altogether  a 
bright,  shrewd,  and  clever  people.  Freetown  is 
one  of  the  most  cosmopolitan  places  on  earth.  Ko 
less  than  sixty  distinct  languages  are  spoken,  while 
there  are  representatives  of  nearly  a  hundred. 
These  come  from  all  parts  of  the  Sudan  and  cen- 
tral Africa.  Many  are  brought  down  as  slaves 
by  caravan  merchants,  and  for  various  reasons  left 
here. 

"It  is  a  strange  sight  to  see  the  mingling  of  the 
nations.  There  is  every  shade  of  complexion  that 
black  and  white  and  brown  will  make.  There  is 
every  variety  of  stature,  feature,  costume,  and 
head-dress.  Here  is  the  tall  'Foulah,'  his  hair 
and  scanty  beard  done  up  in  little  knotted  pigtails  ; 
there  the  bold-featured, tattooed  'Krooman.'  Here 
is  the  self-important  Sierra  Leonean,  the  savage 
Mandingo,  and  the  shrewd  Mohammedan  priest; 
there,  in  little  groups,  the  jabbering  tradeswomen. 
All  are  straight  and  well-formed,  from  bearing 
burdens  on  their  heads,  and  dressed  in  every  color 
of  the  rainbow.  There  is  an  air  of  business  about 
this  city  rarely  seen  in  tropical  countries ;  yet,  even 
here,  indolence  is  the  preferable  rule,  and  garrulity 
and  demonstration  a  substitute  for  business. 

"The  Carrying  Trade  of  the  colony,  on  sea,  is 


40  MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

by  means  of  small  sail-craft ;  on  land,  on  the  heads 
of  natives.  ISTo  beasts  of  bnrden  or  mechanical 
contrivances  for  lessening  human  labor  are  known 
among  the  black  population.  These  small  boats 
enter  the  many  small  rivers,  and  barter  iron  pots, 
knives,  beads,  tobacco,  cheap  cottons,  etc.,  for  rice, 
cola-nuts,  rubber,  and  palm  kernels.  Other  boats 
bring  fish,  fruits,  and  vegetables  to  the  wharves, 
where  tradeswomen  and  children  buy,  fill  their 
calabashes,  and  go  from  house  to  house  to  sell.  The 
mountains  furnish  many  varieties  of  fruits  and 
vegetables,  which  are  disposed  of  in  the  same  man- 
ner. Among  fruits  are  the  orange,  banana,  pine- 
apple, sour-sop,  sweet-sop,  tamarind,  papaw, 
mango,  apple  (not  American),  kushew,  guava, 
plum,  breadfruit,  and  pear  (alligator).  The  prin- 
cipal vegetables  are  cassava,  coca,  potatoes  (sweet), 
okra,  cabbage,  cucumbers,  onions,  lettuce,  beans, 
garden  eggs,  tomatoes,  and  peppers. 

"Caravans  from  beyond  the  Kong  Mountains 
bring  gold,  ivory,  ostrich  feathers,  gums,  dyes, 
hides,  and  curios.  Rice  is  the  staple  food  of  the 
whole  people. 

"Animals.  As  horses  will  not  live  on  the  coast, 
all  travel  is  done  on  foot,  or  in  the  hammock,  which 
is  borne  on  the  heads  of  four  natives.  There  are 
only  twenty  miles  of  railroad  in  the  colony.  l!^ar- 
row  and  exceedingly  tortuous  foot-paths  are  the 
only  highways,  and  dugout  canoes  and  foot-logs  the 
only  substitute  for  bridges.  Transportation  is 
costly,  although  labor  can  be  had  for  twenty  cents 
a  day. 

"The  domestic  animals  are  cattle,  pigs,  sheep, 
and  goats,  and  are  used  only  for   food.      Horses, 


SIERRA   LEONE   IN   GENERAL  41 

asses,  camels,  elephants,  and  dromedaries  are  said 
to  be  plentiful  away  from  the  coast  (far  inland). 
The  wild  animals  that  can  be  said  to  be  within  the 
confines  of  the  colony  are  the  elephant,  leopard, 
fox,  wild  hog,  wild  ox,  several  species  of  small 
deer,  and  several  species  of  monkeys.  Creeping 
things  are  abundant.  Among  the  larger  reptiles 
are  the  python,  viper,  the  deadly  cerastes,  croco- 
dile, iguana,  and  many  aquatic  species.  The 
smaller  ones  include  lizards,  chameleons,  centi- 
pedes, multipedes,  and  scorpions.  The  adaptabil- 
ity of  reptiles  to  the  color  of  their  surroundings 
reaches  its  perfection  here.  Insects  are  not  nimier- 
ous,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  ant,  not  trouble- 
some to  human  existence.  The  ant  is  pre-eminently 
master  of  Africa.  More  than  a  score  of  species  oc- 
cur, both  diurnal  and  nocturnal,  and  their  ravages 
are  constantly  seen. 

"The  feathered  kingdom  is  represented  by  many 
aquatic  and  terrestrial  species.  Of  the  former 
are  the  pelican,  ibis,  heron,  flamingo,  crane,  fish- 
eagle,  duck,  gull,  and  egret.  Of  the  latter  are 
the  eaglC;  hawk,  osprey,  hornbill,  crow,  parrot, 
vulture,  cow-bird,  oriole,  snipe,  and  pheasant. 
Among  fish,  we  have  the  shark,  porpoise,  couter, 
redfish,  mackerel,  tenney,  and  the  tropical  herring, 
or  'hunger.'  Animal  life  is  not  as  abundant  here 
as  might  be  expected  for  the  tropics.  Forest  fires 
are  frequent  during  the  dry  season,  and  this  is, 
doubtless,  the  reason  for  its  scarcity. 

"The  Flora  of  Sierra  Leone  is  varied,  dense, 
and  picturesque,  but  not  beautiful.  The  ancient 
forests  have  been  removed,  and  their  giant  and 
luxuriant  vegetation  replaced  by  a  dense  under- 


42  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

growth  of  shrub.  Where  the  devastations  of  mail 
stop  the  truly  tropical  forest  begins.  Ancient 
and  lordly  trees  interlock  their  branches  hundreds 
of  feet  above,  and  all  but  conceal  the  sun.  Vines, 
like  great  hawsers,  wind  among  the  branches,  or, 
covered  with  foliage,  drop  in  pendent  festoons. 
Beasts  of  prey  and  huge  reptiles  lurk  in  the  dense 
undergrowth,  while  troops  of  monkeys  and  beau- 
tifully plumaged  birds  inhabit  the  branches  above. 

"The  forest  wealth  of  the  coast  region  of  Sierra 
Leone  is  practically  gone.  Gum  arable,  gum 
copal,  indigo,  cola-nuts,  palm-oil,  and  rubber  are 
obtained  in  considerable  quantities.  Some  ivory 
is  also  obtained.  The  more  important  dye-woods 
and  cabinet  materials  have  largely  disappeared. 
Mahogany,  rosewood,  and  camwood  are  found  in 
small  quantities.  Flowers  are  not  beautiful  or 
abundant.  They  blossom  throughout  the  year,  and 
are  never  appreciated,  much  less  cultivated.  The 
process  of  the  terminal  leaf  developing  into  a  blos- 
som is  seen  here  in  its  perfection.  One  species  of 
rose  changes  from  white  in  the  morning  to  red  in 
the  evening.  Every  variety  of  leaf,  petal,  ovary, 
and  arrangement  of  flowers  is  seen  here. 

"'No  precious  metals  have  yet  been  found  within 
the  confines  of  the  colony.  There  is  a  free  distribu- 
tion of  iron  and  plumbago,  but  no  deposits.  The 
soil  is  red  latcrite,  with  a  subsoil  of  gneiss. 

"The  Protectorate  of  Sierra  Leone  has  an  esti- 
mated population  of  400,000,  of  whom  220  arc 
Europeans,  the  others  are  natives.  Of  these, 
41,000  are  Christians,  most  of  whom  live  in  the 
peninsula  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  are  divided  as  fol- 
lows: Episcopalians,  21,000;  Methodists,  of  differ- 


SIERRA    LEONE   TRIBES  43 

ent  bodies,  13,200 ;  United  Brethren  in  Christ, 
6,000;  Romanists,  570;  Baptists,  190;  Presbyte- 
rians, 384.  There  are  about  20,000  Mohammedans, 
and  the  rest  are  pagans. 

"The    Educational    Institutions    are:  Fomah 

Bay  College,  Anna  Walsh  School  for  Girls,  the 
Technical  School,  and  the  Grammar  and  High 
Schools  at  Freetown ;  Rufus  Clark  and  Wife 
Training  School  at  Shaingay;  High  School  at 
Rotnf unk,  and  High  School  at  Bonthe ;  the  begin- 
ning of  the  technical  schools  at  both  Rotufunk  and 
Shaingay,  and  the  primary  schools  connected  with 
every  church  and  mission.  Comparatively  few  of 
the  youth  are  in  the  schools,  but  enough  have  been 
trained  to  show  the  possibilities  and  advantages  of 
both  technical  and  scholastic  education  for  these 
children  of  nature. 

"Sierra  Leone  is  not  destined  to  become  great  in 
agricultural  or  material  prosperity,  but  Freetown 
is  the  gateway  to  west  Africa,  and  what  the  open- 
ing up  of  the  interior  means  to  Great  Britain  and 
to  commerce  it  means  also  to  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  the  spiritual  welfare  of  her  untutored  mil- 
lions."— Fred.  8.  Minsliall. 

2.  SiEERA  Leone  Teibes. 

As  our  African  missions  are  all  within  the  Brit- 
ish protectorate  and  Colony  of  Sierra  Leone,  it  is 
desirable  to  describe  it  more  fully,  and  to  present 
most  completely  the  parts  of  it  in  which  we  are 
most  interested. 

Sierra  Leone  Colony  is  but  a  small  part  of 

the  Sierra  Leone  territory.  It  lies  in  north  lati- 
tude eight  degrees  twenty  minutes,  and  west  longi- 


44  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

tude  thirteen  degrees  twelve  minutes.  It  is  a 
peninsula  twenty-six  miles  long,  and  of  an  average 
width  of  twelve  miles.  The  Sierra  Leone  Moun- 
tains extend  from  northwest  to  southeast  through 
its  entire  length,  and  rise  in  different  peaks  to  two 
thousand  and  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
These  mountains  constitute  the  larger  part  of  the 
peninsula,  and  are  covered  by  forest;  except  where 
cleared  awaj  by  man. 

Nestled  in  the  little  valleys  on  all  sides  are  beau- 
tiful villages,  each  with  its  church  and  parish 
school.  The  gardens,  hardly  large  enough  to  be 
called  farms,  produce  vegetables  and  fruits  in 
abundance. 

Freetown  has  many  public  buildings  of  note,  ae 
St.  George's  Cathedral  of  the  English  Church,  the 
Bishop's  Court,  and  many  other  less  noted 
churches;  Fourah  Bay  College,  a  female  college; 
the  Wesleyan  High  School,  a  technical  school ;  Wil- 
berforce  Hall,  government  buildings,  and  stores. 
Among  the  latter  is  the  well-furnished  store  of 
Yates  and  Porterfield,  of  New  York,  who  have 
shown  our  missions  many  favors,  and  whose  ener- 
getic and  courteous  manager,  Mr.  Smart,  until 
May,  1898,  the  American  consul,  is  a  devoted 
friend  of  our  missionaries. 

The  governor's  residence  is  here.  The  present 
incimibent  is  Colonel  Frederick  Cardew,  C.  M.  G. 
He  is  a  man  of  about  sixty  years,  of  iron  frame 
and  dignified  bearing,  with  a  face  indicating  cour- 
age, wisdom,  practical  tact,  and  generous  sym- 
pathies ;  and  to  these  he  adds  the  other  qualities  of 
a  courteous  Christian  gentleman.  Not  only  from 
the  statesman's  policy,  but  from  noble  instincts,  he 


SIERRA   LEONE   TRIBES  45 

gives  the  full  weight  of  his  influence  to  the  efforts 
of  Christian  missions  among  the  natives.  It  is  his 
custom  to  visit  our  missions  and  contribute  to  their  ^> 
support,  as  well  as  to  invite  our  missionaries  to 
visit  him  in  his  home  and  to  dine  with  him.  In 
company  with  other  missionaries,  we  met  at  the 
governor's  table  the  newly  appointed  bishop  of 
Sierra  Leone,  the  Rev.  J.  Taylor  Smith,  a  man  of 
noble  Christian  spirit,  of  wide  culture,  and  of  large 
experience  in  African  mission  work.  Here,  at  the 
suggestion  of  our  superintendent,  Rev.  J.  R.  King, 
and  with  the  hearty  ajDproval  of  Bishop  Smith,  we 
planned  a  conference  of  all  the  missionaries  in  this 
region,  which  was  held  on  February  1,  1897. 
About  one  dozen  representatives  of  six  different 
missionary  societies  were  present,  and  an  organiza- 
tion was  effected.  From  such  co-operation  and 
mutual  helpfulness  much  good  will  come.  I  met 
the  other  chief  officers  of  this  colony,  and  the  com- 
missioners and  the  police  captains  of  the  "Hinter- 
land," all  of  whom  extended  the  most  courteous 
treatment  and  every  assistance  possible. 

Leaving  Freetown,  off  to  the  southwest  a  half- 
mile  is  a  government  botanical  garden  and  farm, 
where  experiments  are  being  made  and  plants  col- 
lected. Taking  the  fine  military  road  east,  we 
ascend  the  mountain,  first  passing  the  military 
barracks,  where  a  regiment  of  soldiers  is  quar- 
tered ;  then  on  higher,  we  come  to  a  village.  The 
people  come  out  of  their  little  cottages  to  salute 
with  a  "How  do,  sa?"  After  due  response,  they 
reply,  "Thank  ee,  sa ;  good  day,  sa."  And  the  little 
children  are  met  along  the  street,  begging  for  a 
penny.    This  begging  business  is  a  common  feature 


46  MISSION    WORK    IX    SIERRA    LEONE 

among  the  natives  almost  everywhere  you  meet 
them.  But  it  is  no  greater  humbug  here  than  the 
"tips"  demanded  everj^vhere  in  Europe. 

This  Military  Road  is  as  fine  as  any  wagon  road 
with  us,  and  can  be  followed  up  to  a  path  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  English  Church's  sani- 
tarium, on  the  side  of  Mount  Leicester.  Near  this 
is  the  Catholic  sanitarium,  and  a  little  over  one 
hundred  yards  above  the  Catholic  is  our  own  sani- 
tarium. It  is  owned  jointly  by  our  two  mission 
boards.  The  corner-stones  of  the  buildings  were 
laid  November  4,  1896,  in  the  presence  of  a  dis- 
tinguished body  of  Americans,  Englishmen,  and 
natives.  The  building  was  christened  "Bethany 
Cottage."  The  Americans  and  English  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  English  sanitarium  for  lunch,  and 
in  the  evening  the  Americans  were  invited  to  dine 
with  ]\Ir.  Guyer  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smart,  of  the 
firm  of  Yates  &  Porterfield,  in  honor  of  the  election 
of  President  McKinley,  which  occurred  the  day 
before. 

But  to  return  to  Bethany  Cottage — it  is  located 
on  a  piece  of  ground  once  cleared  of  brush  and  the 
rocks  removed  for  a  British  barracks.  It  is  sixteen 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  about  four  miles 
from  the  wharf.  It  is  of  easy  access  by  hammock 
or  on  foot.  The  building  is  of  stone,  with  an  iron 
roof,  and  large  enough  for  its  purpose.  At  this  alti- 
tude the  air  is  pure,  and  the  nights  are  delightfully 
cool.  The  vision  spread  out  before  the  observer  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  to  be  found  anywhere.  To 
the  east.  Mount  Leicester  rises  four  hundred  feet 
higher ;  to  the  west,  lies  the  ocean,  stretching  to  the 
most  distant  verge  of  vision,  at  certain  hours  shim- 


SIERRA    LEONE   TRIBES  47 

mering  in  the  sunshine  like  a  sea  of  gold,  flecked 
with  steamers  and  smaller  boats ;  to  the  nortii, 
across  Bullom  shore,  on  up  the  coast,  the  vision  ex- 
tends to  a  distant  range  of  hazy  mountains ;  then, 
lying  between  the  ocean  and  your  feet,  is  the  lively 
mountain  side,  with  its  ever  dark  green  robe, 
variegated  with  villages,  cottages,  and  gardens— 
below  these,  the  city  of  Freeto^vn  embowered  in  its 
feathery  palms  and  other  tropical  trees  and  plants. 
We  could  not  find  a  more  lovely  spot  in  west 
xlfrica  where  our  weary  missionaries  may  come 
and  rest  awhile  with  Him  who  loved  to  visit  that 
other  Bethany  cottage  in  the  olden  time. 

The  two  mission  boards  have  also  a  dwelling- 
house  rented  in  Freetown.  As  this  is  the  place  of 
landing  and  departure  for  our  missionaries,  and 
the  port  of  entry  for  our  supplies,  and  the  most 
important  port  for  the  Sudan  country,  it  seems  de- 
sirable that  we  should  own  a  home  down  in  the 
city  and  a  cliurch  for  the  success  of  our  work  in- 
land, as  well  as  to  aid  in  evangelizing  this  center 
whose  heathen  population  grows  more  rapidly  than 
its  civilized  citizens. 

Leaving  Sierra  Leone  Colony,  let  us  take  a  sur- 
vey of  the  other  parts  included  in  the  British  -pro- 
tectorate of  this  region,  giving  most  space  to  the 
tribes  among  which  our  missions  operate. 

The  Sherbros,  Bulloms,  and  Lokkohs  seem  to 

be  of  the  same  stock  and  to  have  formerly  been 
one  tribe.  Their  language  and  customs  are  simi- 
lar. They  occupy  the  coast  region  from  the  Great 
Skarcies  Kiver  north  of  'Sierra  Leone,  almost  of  the 
Sulima  River  in  the  south,  nearly  down  to  Liberia 
(except  the  peninsula  of  Sierra  Leone  itself). 


48  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

Th6  SuSUS  occupy  the  coast  north  of  the  Great 
Skarcies  River,  and  extend  far  into  Senegambia. 
Thej  are  a  powerful  tribe,  of  a  tawny  color,  and 
of  Foulah  origin. 

The  Limbas  are  directly  east  of  the  Susus.  They 
are  the  descendants  of  slaves  formerly  belonging  to 
the  Susus  and  Mandingoes.  They  are  very  numer- 
ous, but  not  as  enterprising  as  either  of  their 
former  masters. 

The  Kurankoes,  or  Mandingoes,  occupy  the 
country  east  of  the  Limbas,  and  extend  far  away 
into  the  French  territory.  They  were  one  of  the 
most  powerful  tribes  along  the  valley  of  the  Gam- 
bia when  conquered  by  the  Portuguese  in  1420. 
"Some  of  that  nation  settled  here  and  intermixed 
with  the  natives,  so  that  the  Mandingoes  consider 
themselves  almost  white,  though  ever  so  black." 
This  tribe  is  one  of  the  most  vigorous  of  the  na- 
tives. The  Susus,  the  Limbas,  and  the  Mandingoes 
occupy  the  whole  of  the  north  part  of  the  Sierra 
Leone  protectorate.  Their  territory  has  been  but 
little  visited  by  Europeans,  and  hence  not  much  is 
known  of  the  land  or  the  people.  There  are  several 
hundred  thousand  souls  in  these  tribes,  and  hardly 
a  Christian  missionary  among  them,  but  the 
Mohammedans  are  pushing  into  this  region. 

The  Temni  country  lies  east  and  northeast  of 
the  peninsula  of  Sierra  Leone,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Rokel  River,  extending  across  the  protectorate, 
and  is  eighty  miles  wide  from  north  to  south. 
While  the  eastern  part  of  their  country  has  not  yet 
been  explored,  the  tribe  has  been  well  kno^vn  for 
over  one  himdred  years.  It  was  from  one  of  their 
chiefs  that  the  British  obtained  the  peninsula  in 


OF 

SIERRA  LEONE  PROTEitTORATE 


EXPLANATION  OF  THE  MAP  OF  SIERRA  LEONE 
PROTECTORATE. 

The  rivers  are  marked  with  Roman  numerals,  beginning 
at  the  north.  I,  Great  Sliarcies ;  II,  Little  Skarcies ;  III, 
Sierra  Leone  ;  IV,  Rokell ;  V,  Ribbi ;  VI,  Bompeh ;  VII, 
Cockboro;  VIII,  Yaltukka;  IX,  Bargru;  X,  Sherbro;  XI, 
Jong,  or  Taia ;  XII,  Bum,  or  Schwa ;  XIII,  Kittam ;  XIV, 
Sulima ;  XV,  Mano. 

The  mission  stations  of  our  Church  are  marked  by  a  ( • ) 
star ;  other  important  towns  with  a  circle,  or  dot.  They 
are  numbered  with  Arabic  figures,  as  follows:  1,  Free- 
town ;  1^,  Waterloo  ;  2},  Kent ;  3.J,  Port  Loko  — these  are 
important  English  Church  stations;  2,  Rotufunk,  Palli, 
and  Bompeh ;  3,  Makundo ;  4,  Rokon ;  5,  Kwallu ;  6, 
Taiama;  7,  Mougherri;  8,  Tungea  — these  are  under  the 
Woman's  Mission  Board;  9,  Shaingay;  10,  Rembee;  11, 
Mocobo;  12,  Otterbein ;  13,  Jehovah;  14,  Tongolo,  15;  Ma 
Saudu  ;  16,  Mandoh;  17,  Daymah ;  18,  Bonthe;  19,  Avery; 
20,  Mano  (Mendi);  21,  Damballah  — these  are  under  the 
General  Mission  Board ;  22,  Gbambiah,  under  the  Radi- 
cal U.  B.  Board;  23,  Mafwa;  24,  Tikonko;  25,  Sa;  26, 
Panguma;  27,  Kaure  Lahin;  28,  Yandahu;  29,  Juru ;  30, 
Baudasuma  ;  31,  Koinadugu  ;  32,  Tobabadugu  ;  33,  Falaba. 

The  routes  are  marked  with  broken  lines.  Note  the 
one  from  Freetown  to  Falaba,  northeast,  into  the  Sudan ; 
also  the  route  east  from  Freetown  through  Rotufunk, 
Taiami,  Mougherri,  then  northeast  through  Tungea  to 
Falaba.  This  is  the  route  inland  proposed  for  the  Woman's 
Board.  Th;^  route  from  Avery  (19),  through  Mano  (20), 
Jama,  Damballah,  Sa,  Panguma,  to  Kaure  Lahm  is  the 
route  inland  proposed  for  the  General  Board.  The  railway 
is  now  completed  from  Freetown  to  Waterloo,  and  it  is 
proposed  to  run  it  on  through  Rotufunk,  Taiama,  Mon- 
gherri,  and  Panguma,  to  the  east  limit  of  the  Protectorate. 


SIERRA   LEONE   TRIBES  -    49 

1787.  Their  present  numbers  are  estimated  at 
over  one  hundred  thousand.  They  are  fond  of 
war,  are  of  suf»erior  mental  and  physical  strength, 
and  appear  anxious  to  have  their  children  educated 
in  the  mission  schools,  often  sending  them  a  long 
distance  for  this  purpose.  Their  language  has 
been  reduced  to  writing,  and  part  of  the  Bible  pub- 
lished in  it,  by  Kev.  J.  A.  Alley,  an  English  mis- 
sionary, stationed  at  Port  Loko.  Also,  the  Kev.  C. 
F.  Schlenker,  a  German,  but  employed  by  an  En- 
glish missionary  society,  has  published  a  work  en- 
titled, ''Temni  Traditions  and  Vocabulary." 

The  Mendi  people  live  south  of  the  Temnis,  and 
from  the  Sherbros  south  and  east  to  Liberia.  The 
great  road  from  Freetown  east  to  Panguma  is  near 
the  north  boundary  of  the  Mendi  country,  the 
Temnis  overlapping  this  road  in  some  places.  In 
a  general  way,  this  road  may  be  regarded  as  the 
boundary  between  these  two  tribes.  The  popula- 
tion of  this  region  is  but  little  less  than  that  of  the 
Temni  country.  The  two  tribes  do  not  differ  much 
in  general  traits  of  character.  The  Mendi  lan- 
guage also  has  been  reduced  to  a  written  form  by 
a  missionary,  and  some  books  have  been  printed 
in  it. 

The  Sherbro,  Mendi,  and  Temni  are  the  tribes 
among  which  our  missions  are  operating.  They 
belong  to  the  great  negro,  or  Sudanese,  stock.  It 
will  not  be  surprising'  if  some  time  we  shall  dis- 
cover a  common  home  in  central  Africa  from  which 
these  tribes  migrated  westward.  The  Sherbros 
occupy  the  most  unhealthful  region  along  the  coast, 
where  the  rivers  are  sluggish,  swamps  abound,  and 
malarial  poison  fills  the  air.    The  vigorous  Mendis 

4 


50  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

and  Temuis  are  crowding  the  Sherbros  down  to  the 
coast,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  latter  tribe 
Avill  be  absorbed  in  less  than  one  hundred  years.  It 
is  also  highly  probable  that  as  war  and  slave-trad- 
ing are  abolished  by  European  authority,  the  tribes 
in  the  different  protectorates  will  mingle  together 
more  than  in  the  past,  though  much  mixing  now 
occurs,  in  spite  of  tribal  hatred.  It  is  easy,  for  a 
whole  town  to  move  to  another  location  in  a  single 
dry  season.  Their  huts  are  so  easily  built  that  a 
week  or  two  of  labor  provides  a  new  domicile.  The 
family  goods  can  easily  be  carried  away,  as  the 
chiefs  hold  all  the  land.  Hence  motives  which  bind 
white  men  to  their  homes  have  little  or  no  influence 
here.  This  migrating  tendency  is  illustrated  by  a 
little  incident  of  personal  experience.  When  the 
writer  was  leaving  Dayton,  Ohio,  for  Africa,  two 
years  ago,  he  was  asked  to  visit  Mambo,  where  the 
Sunday  school  of  Summit  Street  Church,  of  Day- 
ton, was  supporting  a  school.  In  due  time 
Mambo  was  visited.  It  is  an  isolated  place, 
up  the  Cockboro  River,  and  had  not  been 
visited  by  a  white  man  for  two  years.  The  mis- 
sion-house, which  had  been  built  of  native  ma- 
terials, was  a  heap  of  clay,  overgrown  Avith  weeds 
high  as  one's  head ;  the  town  was  deserted,  except 
about  three  houses  occupied  by  Sierra  Leonean 
traders ;  the  other  buildings  were  in  ruins,  and,  as 
if  in  despair,  a  huge  cotton-tree  ten  feet  in  diam- 
eter, an  object  of  native  superstitious  reverence, 
had  fallen  prone  across  the  landing. 

This  habit  of  moving  explains  the  removal  of 
some  mission-posts,  and  enforces  the  wisdom  of 
erecting  only  clay  houses  at  the  smaller  towns ;  for 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGE,  CUSTOMS,  ETC      51 

these  the  natives  are  usually  ready  to  build,  if  the 
missionary  will  provide  a  pastor  and  teacher. 

The  Kroomen  should  be  mentioned  before  leav- 
ing this  subject.  Their  home  is  on  the  coast,  sev- 
eral hundred  miles  further  south,  but  they  have  a 
large  colony  on  the  south  side  of  Freetown.  They 
are  the  sailors  of  the  west  coast.  Strong  and  vigor- 
ous, they  are  very  handy  in  loading  and  unloading 
ships,  and  are  sought  for  such  service  by  the  Eu- 
ropean vessels.  They  are  also  in  demand  as  boat- 
men, laborers,  servants,  and  cooks.  "Their  dis- 
tinguishing mark  is  a  black  line  running  from  the 
forehead  down  the  face,  along  the  ridge  of  the  nose, 
and  continuing  through  the  upper  and  lower  lips 
and  chin,  and  the  barb  of  an  arrow  represented  on 
each  side  of  the  temple.  The  body  is  also  generally 
tattooed  in  a  fanciful  manner." 

3.  ISTative  Society^  Language,  Customs^  Etc. 

Society  includes  the  two  factors — persons  and 
environment. 

1.  The  environment  includes:  (1)  Configura- 
tion of  surface.  Along  the  coast,  except  the  moun- 
tains in  the  peninsula,  the  surface  is  flat,  the 
numerous  rivers  move  sluggishly,  and  swamps  are 
common.  Forty  to  fifty  miles  inland  the  surface 
rises,  and  still  farther  inland,  hills,  peaks,  and  con- 
siderable mountains  in  isolated  or  irregular 
groups,  are  found.  The  rivers  move  more  swiftly, 
and  numerous  rapids  occur.  (2)  The  climate 
means  the  heat  and  cold,  the  moisture  and  drouth, 
the  light  and  darkness  of  any  given  region.  Here 
the  temperature  averages  about  ninety-five  degrees 
at  noonday,  in  the  shade,  and  about  sixty-five  de- 


52  MISSION   WORK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

grees  at  midnight,  through  the  year,  except  in  Jan- 
nary  and  Febrnary,  when  a  cool  wind  from  the 
continent  blows,  called  the  harmattan.  During  this 
period  the  thermometer,  at  noon,  frequently  marks 
but  seventy-five  degrees,  the  air  is  filled  with  a  fine 
dust  through  which,  in  the  morning  and  evening, 
the  sun  looks  red — a  perfect  American  Indian  sum- 
mer. ISTo  frost  ever  visits  this  region,  but  the  early 
mornings  and  nights  are  usually  cool  and  pleasant. 
The  natives,  who  are  fond  of  warmth,  usually  have 
fire  in  their  huts  every  night  throughout  the  year. 
It  is  not  the  excessive  heat,  but  the  continuous  heat 
that  is  oppressive  to  the  white  man.  The  moisture 
is  excessive  and  drouth  is  unknown.  The  rain  falls 
for  six  months,  from  May  till  October,  with  an- 
other month  to  begin  on,  and  one  to  taper  off. 
There  are  heavy  dews  the  balance  of  the  year,  and 
enough  moisture.  At  Freetown  the  rainfall  is  from 
125  to  175  inches  each  year,  and  it  probably  aver- 
ages the  latter  figures  every  year  all  over  this  re- 
gion. The  light  and  darkness  are  equally  divided, 
and  the  native  spends  more  time  in  sleep  than  is 
common  in  America.  (3)  The  fauna  and  flora  are 
described  elsewhere.  Their  utilization  by  the 
natives  is  barely  sufficient  to  maintain  life  on  a  low 
plane.  As  a  rule,  the  necessaries  of  life  are  easily 
obtained,  and  no  sufficient  motive  exists  to  induce 
the  native  to  struggle  for  more.  The  climate  is 
against  him ;  the  malarial  poison  in  the  air  affects 
the  black  man  as  well  as  the  white,  though  it  is 
more  injurious  to  the  latter,  and  further,  public 
opinion  does  not  favor  the  accumulation  of  riches. 
On  the  coast  this  sentiment  has  been  modified  by 
contact  with  Europeans ;  but  inland  if  one  family 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGES,  CUSTOMS,  ETC       53 

should  raise  more  rice  than  it  could  consume,  with 
no  immediate  market,  the  neighbors  would  prob- 
ably feel  it  their  right  or  duty  to  go  in  and  help 
to  consume  the  surplus. 

2.  The  stock  is  the  negro,  having  various  local 
names  and  customs;  in  the  lowlands  and  swamps 
he  has  degenerated  under  the  blighting  effects  of 
his  environment,  but  in  the  higher  country  inland, 
he  has  developed  more  vigor  and  ability,  yet  re- 
mains substantially  the  same,  in  his  native  condi- 
tion, everywhere.  The  one  word  that  most  fully 
expresses  his  nature  in  heathenism  is,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, childhood.  He  is  as  affectionate,  trust- 
ful, hopeful,  excitable,  impulsive,  vivacious,  and 
thoughtless — lives  in  his  senses  and  emotions — as 
a  child. 

Languages.  In  the  colony  the  English  lan- 
guage predominates.  But  with  the  uneducated 
part  of  the  natives  it  is  a  kind  of  Pidgin-Eng- 
lish, which  is  as  difficult  for  the  uninitiated  to 
speak  or  understand  as  any  other  foreign  tongue. 
As  an  illustration :  I  had  preached  twice  at  Bonthe 
before  the  conference  sermon.  The  evening  before 
this  event,  one  of  the  teachers,  Thomas  Davis,  an- 
nounced to  the  natives  that  I  would  preach  on  the 
morrow,  and  that  Rev.  F.  S.  Minshall  would  be 
ordained,  and  this  is  the  way  he  did  it:  '^Dat  big 
man  wot  com  out  fr'  'meric  go  preach  mar  in.  Wot 
he  preach  'fore  no  preach  'tall,  he  so  pass  it.  An' 
nah  man  wot  come  wi'  'im  he  go  turn  into  god- 
man,  gud  fashion.  Come  one  time,  w'en  bell 
sound," — this  uttered  in  a  tone  and  rapidity  equal 
to  a  Frenchman's.  This  jargon,  of  which  the  above 
is  a  better  sample  than  usual,  is  the  trade  English 


54  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERKA    LEONE 

up  and  down  the  coast.    The  following  is  a  native 
letter,  furnished  by  Miss  Kingsley : 

"To  Daddy  nah  Tampin  office.  Ha  Daddy,  do, 
yah,  nah  beg  you  tell  deni  people  for  me ;  make 
dem  Sally-o\vn  pussin  know.  Do  yah.  Berrah 
well. 

"Ah  lib  nah  Pademba  Road — one  bwoy  lib  dah 
oberside  lakah  dem  two  Docter  lib  overside  you 
Tampin  office.     Berrah  well. 

"Dah  bwoy  head  big  too  much — he  say  nah 
Militie  Ban — he  got  one  long  long  ting  so  so  brass, 
someting  lib  dah  go  flip-flap,  dem  call  am  key. 
Berrah  well.  Had  !  Dah  bwoy  kin  blow  !  She  ah  ! 
nah  marin,  oh !  nah  sun  time,  oh !  nah  evenin'  oh ! 
nah  middle  night,  oh  ! — all  same — no  make  pussin 
sleep.  Not  ebry  bit  dat,  more  lib  da !  One  Bony 
bwoy  lib  oberside  nah  he  like  blow  bugle.  When 
dem  two  woh-woh  bwoy  blow  dem  ting  de  nize  too 
much,  too  much. 

"When  white  man  blow  dat  ting  and  pussin 
sleep  he  kin  tap  wah  make  dem  bwoy  earn  do  so  ? 
Dem  bwoy  kin  blow  ebry  day,  eben  Sunday  dem 
kin  blow.  When  ah  yerry  dem  blow  Siuiday  ah 
wish  dah  bugle  kin  go  down  no  dem  treat  or  dem 
kin  blow  them  hed-bone  inside. 

"Do  nah  beg  you  yah  tell  all  dem  people  'bout 
dah  ting  wah  dem  two  bwoy  dah  blow.  Till  am 
Amtruny  Boboh  had  febah  bad.  Till  am 
tilly  earn  sleep  nah  night.  Dah  nize  go  kill  me 
two  pickin,  oh ! 

"Plabba  done.  Good  by  Daddy. 

"Crashey  Jame.'" 

By  knowing  that  the  writer  is  complaining  of 
two  boys  who  are  annoying  her  and  her  children 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGES,  CUSTOMS,  ETC       55 

almost  to  death  by  practicing  on  a  bugle  and  trom- 
bone, and  then  by  reading  the  letter  aloud,  its 
meaning  may  be  understood. 

Of  course  good  English  is  taught  in  the  schools, 
but  it  is  difficult  to  convince  the  native  or  the  aver- 
age Sierra  Leonean,  that  their  style  of  English  is 
not  superior.  In  both  the  Mendi  and  the  Sherbro 
countries  is  found,  in  every  town,  some  one  who 
can  talk  a  little  English.  This  is  due  to  the  two 
facts,  that  nearly  every  man  in  the  protectorate 
has  at  some  time  visited  Freetown  (and  many  of 
them  visit  it  yearly,  to  see  and  to  hear,  and  to  ex- 
change the  load  of  rice  carried  on  his  head  and 
back,  or  the  items  carried  in  his  boat)  and  that  the 
missionary,  or  the  trader,  or  the  policeman  has 
been  everywhere. 

The  native  languages  are  said  to  be  picturesque 
in  description,  vigorous  in  construction,  and  me- 
lodious in  sound.  In  all  our  congregations,  in 
preaching,  the  American  missionaries  have  to  use 
interpreters.  This  is  often  very  unsatisfactory 
when  the  regular  interpreter  is  absent.  Bishop 
riickinger  was  once  preaching  on  the  parable,  "I 
am  the  vine,  and  ye  are  the  branches,"  when  the 
whole  effect  of  the  sermon  was  lost  by  the  inter- 
preter rendering  the  text,  "I  am  the  rope,  ye  are 
the  threads."  I  was  once  preaching  at  Deymah, 
with  John  Eemmie  for  interpreter.  As  he  had 
been  the  cook  at  Shaingay  mission  for  twenty  years 
it  was  thought  he  understood  well  both  Sherbro 
and  English.  I  Avas  told,  afterward,  by  one  of  the 
natives,  that  in  the  middle  of  the  discourse,  when 
I  thought  that  John  was  translating  what  I  had 
said,  he  told  the  congregation.  "I  hope  you  under- 


56  MISSION    WORK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

stand  what  the  Bishop  said,  I  do  not."  At  another 
time  a  missionary  was  up  country  and  asked  a 
trader  whom  he  met  there,  and  who  professed  to 
be  a  Christian,  to  interpret  for  him.  The  mission- 
ary lost  some  confidence  in  traders,  when  a  few 
weeks  later  he  returned  to  this  place,  and  was  in- 
formed by  a  native  that  the  trader  had  not  ren- 
dered the  sermon  at  all,  but  had  taken  the  occasion 
to  advertise  his  own  business,  and  to  give  the  prices 
he  was  paying  for  palm,  and  cola-nuts. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  our  missionaries, 
in  the  beginning  of  our  African  work,  were  not 
instructed  to  learn  the  language  of  the  people 
among  whom  they  labored.  And  it  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  Miss  Cronise,  Miss  Eaton,  and  Mrs. 
McGrew,  at  Rotufunk,  and  Mrs.  Howard,  at 
Shaingay,  and  Mrs.  King,  at  Bonthe,  have  made, 
recently,  a  fair  beginning  in  the  study  of  the 
Temni,  Mendi,  and  Sherbro  languages.  From  the 
success  of  these  ladies  in  other  lines  of  work,  and 
from  their  recognized  ability  and  zeal,  we  may  ex- 
pect much  to  result  from  their  linguistic  labors. 

The  Native  Customs  of  the  three  tribes  of  which 
T  am  speaking  do  not  differ  much,  except  as  one  has 
t  een  influenced  by  contact  with  foreign  ideas  more 
Than  the  others. 

(1)  Domestic  customs  are  such  as  relate  to 
family  life.  Polygamy  is  the  prevailing  marriage 
state  of  the  negro.  No  such  thing  as  courtship  is 
known,  but  the  man,  if  a  chief,  adds  whom  he 
pleases  to  his  harem,  as  parents  are  glad  to  have 
their  daughters  in  such  households.  Some  chiefs, 
(as  ISTygwa,  at  Panguma,)  are  said  to  rival  Solo- 
mon in  the  number  of  their  wives.     The  ordinary 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGE,  CUSTOMS,  ETC      57 

man  must  deal  with  the  parents  and  pay  about 
fifteen  dollars  apiece  for  his  wives.  Polygamy  is 
one  of  the  chief  hindrances  to  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  the  conquests 
of  Mohammedanism  among  the  negroes.  But  it  is 
intrenched  in  three  great  facts  difficult  for  us  to 
meet:  The  first  is  the  "impossibility  for  one 
African  woman  to  do  the  work  of  the  house,  pre- 
pare the  food,  fetch  the  water,  cultivate  the  farm, 
and  look  after  the  children  attributive  to  one  man. 
She  might  do  it  if  she  could  do  the  work  one  white 
woman  can  do,  but  this  she  cannot  do.  This  leads 
her  not  to  care  a  fig  how  many  women  have  her 
man's  attention  so  long  as  he  gives  her  as  much 
cloth  and  beads  as  any  of  the  others  receive.  She 
reasons,  the  more  women  the  less  work,  and  is  sat- 
isfied." The  second  fact  is  the  one  well  known  to 
ethnologists,  that  the  negro,  when  he  knows  that 
his  wife  is  to  give  birth  to  a  child,  lives  separate 
from  her  till  after  that  child  is  weaned;  and  he 
thinks  he  must  have  another  wife  to  live  with  dur- 
ing this  interval.  The  third  fact  is,  that  public 
opinion  favors  the  plurality  of  wives  by  making  a 
man's  standing  depend,  to  some  extent,  on  it. 

The  clothing  of  the  male  youth  and  adults  is 
a  breech-cloth  or  a  "country  cloth,"  similar  to  an 
Indian's  blanket;  for  the  younger  females  it  is 
sometimes  as  meager  as  a  string  of  beads  around 
the  loins,  from  which  hangs,  in  front,  an  apron 
four  by  six  inches;  others,  and  especially  the 
married  women,  wear  a  country  cloth,  covering 
from  the  waist  to  the  knees.  The  hot  climate  and 
poverty  account  for  the  limited  clothing,  and  how- 
ever fastidious  the  taste  of  the  missionaries,  best 


58  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

results  will  be  reached  by  not  requiring  the  natives 
to  wear  more  than  a  loose,  flowing  gown  at  present. 
Contact  with  foreigners  will  finally  change,  some- 
what, native  tastes  and  customs  of  dress.  Their 
country  cloth  is  made  from  heavy,  strong  cottor. 
thread,  spun  by  hand  aided  by  a  stick  a  foot  long. 
The  weaving  is  equally  primitive.  The  cloth  is 
very  durable,  and  usually  striped  blue  and  white, 
or  black  and  white.  They  also  weave  mats  from 
grasses,  barks,  and  leaves. 

The  children  go  almost,  if  not  entirely,  naked 
till  ten  or  twelve  years  old.  Their  chief  clothing 
is  a  "little  grease  on  their  heads  and  a  few  flies  on 
their  backs."  Either  their  food  is  so  innutritions, 
or  their  appetites  are  so  ravenous,  they  eat  so 
much,  that,  after  a  meal,  their  abdomens  are 
greatly  distended.  Circumcision  is  universally 
practiced,  and  if  it  is  not  performed  in  childhood 
the  lad  seems  to  feel  ashamed  of  this  fact  till  it  is 
performed.  The  children  aid  the  women  in  their 
work,  and  as  long  as  the  parents  live  the  children 
feel  under  obligation  to  obey  their  wishes.  They 
are  very  jealous  of  the  honor  of  their  fathers.  One 
of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  palaver  for  the  mis- 
sionaries to  settle  among  the  black  children  is  the 
charge  made  by  one  against  another,  "He  cursed 
me  daddy."  Any  word  spoken  against  another's 
father  is  called  a  curse.  Also  for  one  boy  to  stick 
out  his  tongue  at  another  boy  is  the  sa»ie  as  utter- 
ing a  curse.  (The  origin  of  this  latter  I  could  not 
learn,  but  learned  that  at  Rotufunk  it  often  caused 
a  fight  among  the  smaller  boys.) 

Among  the  Sherbros,  the  children,  in  all  fami- 
lies, receive  the  same  names,  as  follows:  Boys — 1, 


NATIVE    SOCIETY,  LANGUAGES,  CUSTOMS,  ETC       59 

Oho ;  2,  Thong ;  3,  Saw ;  4,  Barkey ;  5,  Reekeh ;  6, 
Gbokah;  girls— 1,  Boy;  2,  Yamah;  3,  Conah;  4, 
Marhen ;  5,  Chorcor ;  6,  Marner ;  1,  Yorkee.  These 
names  may  all  be  given  to  the  oifspring  of  one 
woman;  then  they  bear  her  name  also,  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  the  children  of  other  mothera 
in  the  same  family. 

The  houses  are  now  rarely  built  isolated  from 
each  other;  and  until  British  protection  was  ex- 
tended, they  were  always  in  towns,  surrounded  by 
a  wall  made  of  earth  or  wicker-work.  The  houses 
are  made  by  setting  in  the  ground  poles  eight  or 
ten  feet  long,  inclosing  a  round  or  square  space  of 
the  desired  size,  say,  fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  These 
poles  stand  near  each  other,  and  are  woven  together 
with  vines  and  branches  ;  then  this  wall  receives  on 
the  outside  a  coat  of  mud  four  to  six  inches  thick, 
and  a  similar  one  on  the  inside.  The  lower  ends  of 
the  rafters  are  fastened  with  vines  to  the  top  of 
the  walls,  their  upper  ends  coming  together  above, 
or  resting  on  a  cross-beam.  The  rafters  are  then 
covered  with  vines,  or  bamboo  poles,  as  we  place 
lath,  and  these  are  then  covered  with  a  special  kind 
of  grass,  or,  in  its  absence,  with  shingles  made  of 
palm  leaves.  If  desired,  the  walls  may  receive  a 
coat  of  whitewash,  and  sometimes  a  black  band^ 
two  feet  wide,  extends  around  the  bottom  of  the 
wall.  This  black  coat  is  made  of  cow-dung,  of 
which  the  earthen  floor  also  receives  a  coat,  in  the 
belief  that  it  keeps  away  vermin.  A  hole  is  left 
in  the  wall  for  a  door,  and  another  for  a  window ; 
they  are  each  closed  by  a  grass  mat  hanging  from 
the^top  of  the  opening.  The  bed  is  made  of  clay, 
and  raised  a  few  inches  above  the  floor.    The  only 


60  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

covering  is  a  thin  grass  mat.  A  few  pegs  in  the 
wall,  on  which  to  hang  things,  and  a  simple  stool 
make  up  the  furniture  of  this  average  house.  Just 
outside  the  house  is  a  small  kitchen,  whose  only 
furnishing  is  an  iron  pot  in  which  to  carry  water 
{ind  cook  the  food.  The  latter  usually  consists  of 
rice,  seasoned  with  fish,  fowl,  any  kind  of  flesh,  or 
palm-oil,  and  red  pepper  enough  to  make  a  white 
man  cry  over  each  bite  he  takes.  It  is  a  luxury,  if 
there  is  a  big  wooden  bowl  in  which  to  cool  the 
food.  It  is  then  surrounded  by  the  family,  sitting 
on  the  ground,  or  standing,  each  of  whom  dips  his 
hands  into  the  food  and  carries  it  to  his  mouth.  The 
cassava  is  eaten  raw,  or  roasted  in  the  hot  ashes, 
or  made  into  foo-foo,  a  most  horrid  food.  The 
fruits  are  all  eaten  raw,  except  the  plantain,  which 
is  best  roasted.  If  any  corn  is  raised,  it  is  usually 
eaten  parched. 

iSTow  one  man  has  as  many  houses  as  he  has 
wives,  and  they  are  most  frequently  in  different 
to\vns ;  though,  if  he  is  a  chief,  he  may  have  them 
all  in  the  same  town. 

A  collection  of  such  houses,  with  a  public  hall, 
or  barra,  and  the  superior  but  similar  houses  of  the 
chief,  are  crowded  close  together,  without  regard 
to  order  or  streets,  and  more  resemble  a  collection 
of  haystacks  and  ricks,  on  one  of  oiir  thriving 
farms,  than  anything  else  one  can  think  of.  These 
towTis  are  nearly  always  near  a  pond  or  stream  of 
water,  as  they  dig  no  wells,  except  a  hole  in  the  bed 
of  a  stream,  to  accumulate  the  water  flowing  there. 
If  the  stream  serves  the  purpose,  the  men  have  a 
bathing  place  on  one  side  of  the  to^m,  and  the 
women  have  a  similar  place  on  the  other  side.  They 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGES,  CUSTOMS,   ETC      61 

are  very  fond  of  a  daily  bath ;  but  the  women  carry 
the  big  pot  down  to  the  river,  and  after  the  ablu- 
tion of  the  whole  body,  they  dip  the  water  for 
cooking  the  food  out  of  the  same  stream.  The 
family  washing  occurs  at  the  same  place,  and  is 
done  "by  wetting  the  clothes,  and  then  beating  them 
against  a  log. 

Their  houses  are  warmed  by  a  fire  built  in  the 
center  of  the  floor,  the  smoke  escaping  at  the  roof. 
Their  cutlass  is  not  a  good  instrument  for  chop- 
ping. It  quite  resembles  a  corn-cutter.  Hence, 
to  save  labor,  they  place  one  end  of  one  stick 
against  the  end  of  another  stick,  and  push  them 
together  as  the  fire  consumes  them.  I  saw  such  a 
tire  in  Chief  Pa  Sourri's  house.  In  this  case,  one 
of  the  logs  extended  through  the  door  into  the 
yard.  The  land  is  owned  by  the  chiefs.  They  must 
give  permission  before  it  can  be  farmed,  built  on, 
or  a  grave  dug  in  it. 

(2)  The  Religious  Customs  and  theories  of  the 

negroes  have  been  overlaid  by  Mohammedan  and 
Christian  ideas  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  dijfficult 
to  determine  what  is  original  and  what  is  bor- 
rowed. 

The  majority  of  the  natives  believe  in  a  supreme 
god,  who  is  sometimes  identified  with  the  sun,  the 
sky,  or  the  ocean.  To  him  the  creation  of  the 
world  is  ascribed,  and  about  him  are  grouped  in- 
ferior gods,  the  forces  or  objects  of  nature  person- 
ified, as  lightning,  thunder,  the  rainbow,  lakes, 
rivers,  springs,  birds,  serpents,  animals,  and  the 
souls  of  the  dead. 

The  spirits  which  animate  the  trees,  the  waters, 
the  beasts,  or  the  stones — in  short,  every  object 


62  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

which  manifests  a  force  or  a  power  is  conceived  of 

as  separate  from  the  plant,  the  animal,  the  stone, 
or  the  river  in  which  it  is  incarnated,  and  it  can 
also,  like  the  souls  of  the  dead,  be  constrained  by 
sacrifices,  or  can  itself  choose  to  inhabit  any  small 
material  object,  which  then  becomes  a  fetish  and 
is  worshiped  because  a  god  resides  in  it.  The  one 
who  owns  one  of  these  fetishes  has  at  his  control 
the  god  who  resides  in  it.  Besides  these  individual 
fetishes  there  are  those  belonging  to  families; 
orhers,  to  to^vns ;  others,  to  tribes.  They  may  cease 
TO  be  effective  by  the  spirit  dying,  or  by  some 
stronger  inducement  being  offered  the  spirit  to  de- 
sert its  former  home  and  go  to  a  more  attractive 
one.  The  negro  is  always  in  fear  lest  his  tutelary 
god  forsake  him  and  go  to  some  enemy  or  rival. 
When  he  is  convinced  that  such  a  change  has  oc- 
curred he  is  ready  to  sell  his  fetish  to  some  white 
man  as  a  curio ;  and  then  he  hires  a  witch-doctor  to 
make  him  a  stronger  one.  The  infi.nite  number  of 
spirits  with  which  the  world  is  peopled  are  good 
and  bad,  malevolent  and  benevolent.  The  ill  will 
of  the  one  kind  can  be  propitiated,  and  the  good 
Avill  of  the  other  can  be  secured  by  the  aid  of  the 
sorcerers  (witch-doctors)  and  by  sacrifices.  They 
lire  not  so  much  concerned  about  the  supreme  God, 
the  "one  King,"  as  they  are  anxious  about  the  good 
will  of  the  nature  spirits,  and  the  spirits  of  dead 
men,  especially  of  dead  sorcerers,  chiefs,  or  great 
warriors.  The  caves,  the  forests,  especially  the 
great  cotton-trees,  the  mountains,  and  the  floods 
are  sacred  to  these  spirits.  The  "devil  house"  at 
the  side  of  every  town  is  the  place  where  the  guard- 
ian spirit  of  that  town  dwells  and  receives  offer- 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGES,  CUSTOMS,   ETC      63 

ings.  They  judge  all  these  tutelary  gods  by  their 
OAvn  natures,  and  they  treat  them  accordingly. 
They  believe  these  spirits  can  be  controlled  by 
offerings  or  by  conjuring.  Sometimes  one  sees  a 
cotton  string  drawn  across  a  highway  or  around  a 
town,  for  which  some  sorcerer  is  well  paid  to  keep 
away  some  evil  spirit. 

They  universally  believe  in  the  survival  of  the 
soul  after  death.  But  the  doctrine  of  a  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body  is  not  knowai  among  them.  The 
dead  hold  the  same  social  position  they  held  in  this 
life;  for  example,  a  chief  remains  a  chief,  a  slave 
remains  a  slave.  Their  worship  is  ritualistic  in 
character,  and  consists  of  prayers  and  invocations, 
offerings,  and  sacrifices.  They  all  wear  fetishes, 
Mohammedan  charms,  or  amulets  of  some  kind — 
each  particular  kind  for  a  particular  purpose, — 
i.nd  they  all  believe  in,  and  greatly  dread  fetish 
alligators  and  fetish  leopards,  that  is,  evil  spirits 
having  the  body  of  these  animals. 

It  may  also  be  that  their  numerous  dances  have 
some  religious  significance.  It  is  certain  that  no 
white  man  can  admire  them  for  gracefulness  or 
beauty  of  movement.  The  mourning  for  the  dead, 
a  social  custom  practiced  everywhere  in  this  re- 
gion, may  have  some  religious  purpose.  At 
Mongherri  I  saw  the  women  mourning  for  the  de- 
ceased chief,  and  heard  their  doleful  lamentations 
away  into  the  night.  They  sat  on  the  ground  and 
swung  their  bodies  back  and  forward,  uttering  a 
pitiful  wail.  It  was  said  this  would  be  kept  up 
for  one  year,  then  each  wife  might  select  any  son 
or  brother  of  the  late  chief  and  live  in  his  home ; 
if  any  one  of  them  made  no  choice,  she  might  be 
selected  by  any  relative  of  the  deceased. 


64  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

Belief  in  witchcraft  or  sorcery  is  universal,  and 
is  a  source  of  much  misery.  It  is  highly  probable 
that  the  secret  of  the  professional  witch-doctor  is 
not  in  his  supernatural  power,  but  in  his  secret 
knowledge  and  use  of  poisons.  The  gall  of  the 
alligator  and  of  the  leopard,  and  caliboa  beans  are 
supposed  to  be  the  usual  sources  of  the  poison,  to 
which  we  may  add  the  vemon  of  snakes. 

Even  in  Freeto^vn,  Bishop  Ingham  says :  "Such 
mutual  distrust  still  prevails  among  the  people, 
that  no  one  seems  ever  supposed  to  have  died  a 
natural  death. 

"It  is  hard  to  say  that  poisoning  is  actually  at- 
tempted on  any  large  scale.  Certainly  it  is  widely 
feared.  Nothing  goes  to  prove  this  so  much  as  the 
fact  that  people  do  not  eat  in  one  another's  houses, 
except  at  a  large  spread,  when  there  is  safety  in 
numbers." 

Witch-doctor  and  professional  poisoner  are 
synonymous  terms,  and  the  British  are  doing  well 
in  getting  rid  of  them.  I  saw  two  being  led  away 
to  death,  and  heard  of  others  in  prison,  awaiting 
trial. 

3.  The  Native  Legal  Customs  are  not  uni- 
form. The  Porroh  Society  has  long  been  the  popu- 
lar legislative  body ;  other  laws  were  made  by  local 
chiefs ;  still  others  by  a  number  or  all  of  the  chiefs 
of  a  tribe ;  but  the  Porroh  Society's  laws  were  su- 
preme. They  have  no  jails  or  other  places  for 
confining  prisoners. 

Every  death  is  apt  to  be  attributed  to  witchcraft. 
Miss  Kingsley  thinks  that  the  belief  in  witchcraft 
is  the  cause  of  piore  African  deaths  than  anything 
else.    "It  has  killed  more  than  the  slave  trade.  Its 


NATIVE   SOCIETY,  LANGUAGES,  CUSTOMS,  ETC       65 

only  rival  is,  perhaps,  smallpox."  Some  one  dies, 
''the  witch-doctor  is  called  in,  and  he  proceeds  to 
find  out  the  guilty  person.  Then  woe  to  the  un- 
popular men,  the  weak  women,  and  slaves,  for  on 
some  of  them  will  fall  the  accusation  that  means 
ordeal  by  poison  or  fire,  followed,  if  these  point  to 
guilt,  as  from  their  nature  they  usually  do,  by  a 
terrible  death."  Whether  the  method  varies  with 
the  tribe  or  with  the  individual  witch-doctor  is  not 
certain;  probably  with  the  latter.  In  some  parts 
of  west  Africa  the  witch-doctor  goes  round  a  vil- 
lage ringing  a  small  bell,  which  is  to  stop  ringing 
outside  the  hut  of  the  guilty.  In  other  places  the 
witch-doctor  puts  on  and  takes  off  the  lid  of  a  small 
box  while  he  repeats  the  names  of  all  the  people  of 
the  village.  When  the  lid  refuses  to  come  off  at  the 
name  of  a  person,  that  person  is  doomed.  Another 
witch-doctor  rubs  the  palms  of  his  hands  against 
each  other.  When  the  palms  refuse  to  meet  at  a 
name,  and  fly  wildly  apart,  he  has  his  man. 

The  accused  person,  if  he  denies  his  guilt 
and  does  not  claim  the  ordeal,  is  tortured  till 
he  not  only  acknowledges  his  guilt,  but  names 
his  accomplices  in  the  murder,  for  witch- 
craft is  murder  in  their  eyes.  That  under  these 
exciting  conditions  many  a  one  confesses  that  he  is 
guilty  of  witchcraft  finds  its  parallel  in  the  Salem 
witchcraft  episode  in  our  own  country,  and  finds 
its  explanation  in  the  influence  of  current  belief^ 
and  hypnotic  suggestion. 

The  ordeal  in  one  place  is  to  drink  the  cup  of 
poison  made  from  a  decoction  of  the  fresh  bark 
of  sasswood,  a  native  tree.  The  only  escape  from 
its  deadly  effect   is   to   privately   dash  (tip)    the 


66  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

witch-doctor,  so  he  will  allow  the  drink  to  settle 
before  administering  it.  If  the  man  recovers  he 
is  declared  innocent,  but  if  he  dies  he  is  believed 
guilty.  Another  ordeal  is  the  swallowing  of  three 
hsh-hooks  fastened  together,  so  the  points  stand  in 
different  directions.  They  are  swallowed  down 
about  four  or  five  inches,  then  if  they  can  be  pulled 
out  of  the  throat  without  catching,  the  party  is  de- 
clared innocent,  but  if  they  catch  in  his  throat,  he 
is  punished  for  the  crime.  Still  another  ordeal  of 
which  I  heard  is  to  take  a  solemn  oath  that  he  is 
innocent  of  the  accusation,  with  threatened  death 
in  the  near  future,  by  thunder  and  lightning,  if 
guilty.  The  old  witch-doctor  having  a  monopoly 
of  this  last  ordeal  is  so  greatly  feared  that  almost 
any  other  ordeal  is  preferred. 

In  other  tribes  the  accused  persons  are  given  a 
trial  before  the  chief  and  his  headmen,  who,  acting 
as  a  jury,  determine  theguilt  or  innocence  of  the  ac- 
cused. In  such  trials  any  one  may  bear  witness  or 
make  a  plea.  The  trials  are  brief,  and  the  penalty 
certain. 

Among  the  Mendis  the  penalty  for  stealing  was 
formerly  the  chopping  off  of  the  hand  of  the  crim- 
inal. In  a  journey  through  this  tribe,  of  twenty 
days'  duration,  and  sleeping  in  the  native  huts 
without  any  locks  on  doors,  not  a  pin  was  stolen 
from  our  party.  In  this  same  tribe  the  penalty  for 
adultery  was  formerly  the  death  of  both  parties. 

The  native  chiefs  formerly  visited  swift  and 
severe  penalties.  The  natives,  with  their  strong 
impulses  and  weak  wills,  are  no  more  prepared 
than  children  to  enjoy  the  liberty  of  civilization. 
For  this  reason  the  time  and  space  borderland  be- 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS  67 

tween  heathenism  and  civilization  will  always  be 
in  a  worse  moral  condition  than  pure  heathenism, 
— a  sort  of  breaking  up  between  winter  and  sum- 
mer. 

Throughout  the  protectorate  the  British  have 
instituted  a  plan  of  law  and  order,  administered 
by  European  commissioners  and  three  kinds  of 
courts  of  justice.  The  Court  of  the  Native  Chiefs 
follows  native  customs,  with  their  former  harsh- 
ness removed,  the  death  penalty  being  taken 
out  of  their  hands.  This  court  has  jurisdiction  of 
all  minor  offenses  committed  by  natives.  The 
Court  of  District  Commissioner  and  ISTative  Chiefs 
is  presided  over  by  the  commissioner,  who  is  as- 
sisted by  two  or  more  chiefs  named  by  the  gov- 
ernor, and  has  jurisdiction  in  all  capital  offenses 
arising  among  the  natives.  The  Court  of  the  Dis- 
trict Commissioner  is  presided  over  by  the  commis- 
sioner, and  has  jurisdiction  chiefly  in  matters  re- 
lating to  foreigners,  to  land,  or  to  tribe  differences. 

4.  Miscellaneous  Matters. 

1.  Secret  Societies  are  numerous  all  over  west- 
ern Africa.  The  Porroh  is  the  largest  and  is  ex- 
clusively for  men.  Their  lodges  are  near  the  towns 
in  a  dense  woods,  over  which  the  society  has  full 
control.  On  the  side  next  to  the  road  a  barricade 
of  branches,  and  a  mat  hanging  over  an  opening 
leading  into  the  grove,  and  a  few  mystic  symbols 
nearby,  indicate  the  presence  of  the  ''devil  bush," 
as  it  is  called.  None  but  the  initiated  or  candi- 
dates are  allowed  to  enter  the  lodge.  An  initiation 
takes  place  annually,  during  which  the  eligible 
boys  and  young  men,  after  a  training  in  the  secret 


68  MISSION    WORK   IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

work  of  the  society  for  several  months,  come  out 
with  much  pride  and  pomp  as  Porroh  men.  I  am 
told  that  they  are  trained  in  the  native,  civil,  and 
parliamentary  law.  It  seeins  to  have  been  origi- 
nally the  popular  lawmaking  body  of  the  land,  with 
power  even  to  limit  the  authority  of  the  chiefs. 

The  chief  man  in  a  lodge  is  called  the  Porroh 
devil.  He  is  masked,  and  blows  a  sort  of  trmnpet 
which  makes  a  loud  and  horrible  sound.  When  the 
society  marches,  this  trumpet  is  heard ;  then  every 
man  not  a  member  of  the  society,  if  on  the  road, 
must  turn  his  back  to  the  advancing  company  and 
place  his  hands  over  his  eyes,  or  suffer  such  penalty 
as  they  see  fit  to  inflict.  At  the  same  time  the 
women  and  children  must  retire  to  their  houses 
and  stand  with  faces  in  a  corner  and  hands  over 
their  eyes,  or  suffer  the  consequences.  The  design 
is  to  prevent  any  one  not  a  member  looking  upon 
the  Porroh  devil  and  his  followers.  This  keeps  the 
natives  in  doubt  as  to  the  origin  of  the  fearful  noise 
made  and  enables  the  society  to  terrorize  the  people. 

The  Bundoo  Society  is  exclusively  for  women. 
Its  lodges  are  similar  to  those  of  the  former  so- 
ciety, but  are  always  in  another  grove,  and  in  the 
depth  of  the  forest.  It  is  said  that  here  the  young 
girls  are  for  months  trained  in  the  knowledge  of 
a  few  simple  medicines,  undergo  a  sort  of  female 
circumcision,  and  are  taught  the  mysteries  of 
motherhood.  The  girls  stay  in  the  woods  during 
this  period.  All  that  the  public  hears  of  them  is 
an  occasional  weird  chant  coming  from  the  distant 
lodge.  Their  initiation  is  supposed  to  fit  them  for 
marriage.  It  seems  also  to  teach  them  some  secret 
religious  ceremonies  and  beliefs. 


MISCELLANEOUS   MATTERS  69 

The  head  woman  is  held  in  high  distinction,  and 
during  the  annual  lodge  meeting  she  wears  a  black 
mask  for  her  whole  body  and  limbs,  made  of  long 
fibers  of  bark,  and  wears  a  wooden  mask  covering 
her  head  and  face.  This  face  mask  has  Egyptian 
features. 

The  Wundi  Society  is  for  both  sexes,  and  seems 
to  be  merely  for  social  recreation.  We  met  it  fre- 
quently in  the  Mendi  country.  In  towns  where 
we  lodged,  on  moonlit  nights,  they  kept  us  awake 
by  their  dancing  all  night  to  a  very  monotonous 
tune,  sung,  beat  on  the  drums,  and  aided  by  a 
bunch  of  dry  switches  held  in  either  hand  and 
clashed  together. 

The  Leopard  Society  is  a  secret  cannibal  so- 
ciety, which  existed  in  the  Imperi  country.  The 
candidate  for  initiation  furnished  some  one  for 
the  cannibalistic  feast,  and  certain  parts  of  the 
victim  were  then  used  for  fetish  purposes.  Three 
men  were  hanged  for  cannibalism,  in  connection 
with  this  society  in  this  region,  in  1895.  Rev.  D. 
K.  Wilberforce  largely  aided  the  British  author- 
ities in  destroying  this  society  throughout  the  pro- 
tectorate. 

The  Alligator  Society  was  another  secret  canni- 
bal organization.  There  is  a  tradition  that  this  so- 
ciety used  a  submarine  boat  and  simulated  an  alli- 
gator in  securing  its  victims.  This  society  is  now 
destroyed. 

I  heard  of  several  other  secret  societies,  such  as 
the  Yasi,  the  Humoi,  the  TJjai,  and  one  among  the 
Temnis,  whose  object  is  said  to  be  to  destroy  all 
feeble  or  deformed  children  and  incurably  dis- 
eased persons.    But  these  are  so  little  kno\^m  to  me 


70  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

that  I  reserve  them  for  future  treatment,  by  some 
one  more  fully  informed. 

2.  The  Money  of  the  natives  was,  until  the 
British  currency  was  introduced,  cowrie  shells, 
leaf  tobacco,  beads,  and  muslin  and  calico.  These 
items,  especially  the  beads  and  dry-goods,  are  still 
valuable  for  exchange  to  one  going  inland. 

3.  Dancing  is  a  universal  passion  among  the  na- 
tives. In  the  societies,  sometimes  the  men  dance  by 
themselves ;  in  others,  the  women  dance  by  them- 
selves ;  while  in  others  the  sexes  dance  togethe?'. 
There  are  also  dance  girls,  who  seem  to  be 
slaves  taken  around  the  counti-y  to  amuse  the  ob- 
servers and  secure  a  collection,  or  kept  by  cl'.iefs 
to  entertain  their  guests,  as  in  the  case  of  Madam 
Yoko,  a  noted  female  chief  at  Senaliu.  The  dance 
girl  is  half  nude,  and  has  small  bells  around  her 
ankles.  Her  dance  is  a  shuffling  movement,  for- 
ward and  backward,  then  a  swii't  whirl  clear 
around,  and  a  sudden  stamp  with  the  right  heel.  At 
other  times  it  is  a  continuous,  rapid  whirl  around 
and  around.  Other  athletic  sports  are  cultivated 
by  young  men.  On  a  sandy  beach  of  the  Schv/a 
River,  I  saw  men  exercising.  The  prize-taker 
turned  ten  somersaults  backwards,  in  succession. 
Many  of  them  are  very  fleet  on  foot. 

4.  Their  Music  consists  almost  wholly  in  the 
time  element,  varied  by  low  or  loud  noise.  The 
drum  is  the  chief  native  instrument,  made  of  a 
piece  of  a  hollow  log  with  skin  stretched  over  one 
end,  the  other  end  resting  on  the  ground.  Some- 
times a  section  of  a  hollow  log,  like  a  barrel  with- 
out heads,  is  used  for  a  drum.  I  have  also  seen 
among  them  a  sort  of  wooden  piano,  the  keys  made 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS  71 

of  pieces  of  hard  wood  of  different  lengths,  and 
played  by  striking  on  the  keys  with  a  hard  stick, 
or  hammer.  But  this  seems  to  be  of  Mohammedan 
origin. 

Contrary  to  expectation,  they  have  very  poor 
voices  for  singing.  Professor  Howard,  at  Shain- 
gay,  told  me  he  could  hardly  find  enough  voices 
among  one  hundred  and  fifty  students,  to  make  a 
fair  quartet.  They  all  sing,  of  course,  in  their 
way.  On  the  boat  they  frequently  keep  stroke  to 
the  music  of  their  songs.  These  songs  are  gener- 
ally made  up  as  they  go  along,  either  some  compli- 
ment to  their  chief  guest,  or  some  joke  at  his  ex- 
pense. 

5.  Of  Diseases,  Doctor  Archer  informed  mo  that 
the  most  common  is  venereal  disease,  for  which 
the  natives  have  no  adequate  remedy.  African 
fever  is  a  form  of  malarial  fever,  and  is  more  des- 
tructive to  the  whites  than  to  the  blacks.  The  lat- 
ter use  much  red  pepper  in  their  food,  and  it 
seems  to  have  a  preventive  effect  in  the  case  of 
the  fever.  They  also  have  herbs  from  which  they 
make  a  tea  which  breaks  up  the  fever.  The  natives 
have  no  knowledge  of  surgery,  and  suffer  much 
from  this  lack. 

6.  Their  Hospitality  is  a  noted  trait.  While  at 
Rokon,  the  chief  gave  us  lodging  in  his  guest-cham- 
ber, a  large  circular  room  having  seven  good  beds 
under  canopies,  ranged  around  the  wall  of  the 
room.  He  also  gave  us  rice,  fruit,  and  a  sheep. 
This  was  in  the  Temni  country.  The  Mendis  fur- 
nished us  houses  for  lodging  everywhere  we  went 
among  them,  and  the  chiefs  nearly  always  made 
an  address  of  welcome.     At  Dumballa  they  gave 


72  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

US  a  sheep.  In  the  Sherbro  country  -vre  were 
among  our  missions,  where,  of  course,  the  treat- 
ment was  cordial.  In  the  homes  of  such  native 
pastors  as  Wiberforce,  Taylor,  Williams,  Johnson. 
Morrison,  Inskip,  and  Bickersteth,  1  ate  with 
relish  and  slept  in  peace. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OUE  MISSION  WOEK  IN  SIEKEA  LEONE. 

Moved  by  the  feeling  of  obligation  to  belp  carry 
out  the  Master's  command  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
all  nations,  and  by  a  desire  to  aid  the  most  needy, 
the  Mission  Board  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  at  its  first  annual  session,  held  in  Wester- 
ville,  Ohio,on  June  1,  1854,  appointed  the  Rev.  W. 
J.  Shuey,  pastor  of  the  First  United  Brethren 
Church  of  Cincinnati,  as  our  first  missionary  to 
Africa.  The  executive  committee  of  this  Board 
soon  after  appointed  the  Rev.  D.  C.  Kumler  and 
the  Rev.  D.  K.  Flickinger  to  go  also  to  the  same 
field.  These  three  sailed  together  from  'New  York 
in  January,  1855.  After  a  sea  voyage  of  thirty- 
four  days,  they  reached  Sierra  Leone  and  landed 
at  Freetown,  February  26. 

The  American  Missionary  Association  of  Kew 
York  had  commenced,  about  fourteen  year? 
earlier,  the  Mendi  Mission.  Its  chief  stations 
were  Good  Hope,  at  Bonthe,  on  the  east  end  of 
Sherbro  Island  and  about  one  hundred  miles  south 
of  Freetown ;  Kaw-Mendi,  on  the  Jong  River ; 
and  Mo-Tappan,  on  the  Big  Boom  River.  The 
Rev.  George  Thompson,  Rev.  J.  S.  Brooks,  and  Mr. 
D.  W.  Burton,  Americans,  were  in  charge  of  this 
field.  To  them  our  missionaries  went  with  letters 
from  New  York  friends.  They  were  received  with 
great  cordiality  and  shown  every  favor  possible. 
After  making   Good  Hope   station   headquarters, 


74  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

and  exploring  the  country  for  between  two  and 
three  months  for  a  site  on  which  to  begin  mission 
work,  Messrs.  Shuey  and  Kumler  returned  to 
America.  Mr.  Flickinger  continued  for  several 
months  to  explore  the  country  for  a  location,  think- 
ing at  one  time  to  open  a  field  on  either  the  Big 
Boom  or  the  Jong  River.  But  without  selecting 
a  definite  place,  he  returned  to  America  the  mid- 
dle of  the  following  May. 

In  June,  1856,  Rev.  W.  B.  Witt  and  Rev.  J.  K. 
Billheimer  were  appointed  to  go  to  Africa  in 
the  following  December  with  Rev.  Mr.  Flickingerj 
who  was  continued  superintendent  of  the  work. 
They  reached  Freetown  the  following  January. 
Mr.  Flickinger  went  on  down  to  Liberia  to  seek  a 
location.  After  three  weeks  he  returned  to  Sierra 
Leone,  fully  persuaded  that  this  was  to  be  the  field 
of  our  mission  work.  After  many  efforts,  assisted 
by  Mr.  D.  W.  Burton,  of  the  Mendi  Mission,  the 
chief,  Thomas  Stephen  Caulker,  was  induced,  in 
March,  1857,  to  give  a  one  hundred  years'  lease 
for  about  one  hundred  acres  of  land  adjoining  the 
town  of  Shaingay  on  the  west,  and  located  mid- 
way between  Bonthe  and  Freetown,  and  occupying 
a  cape  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  the  ocean  and 
about  thirty  feet  above  tide-water.  On  this  beau- 
tiful location,  one  of  the  most  healthful  spots  along 
this  coast,  the  headquarters  for  our  work  was  es- 
tablished. Here,  finally,  the  mission  home,  the 
Rufus  Clark  and  Wife  Training  School,  the  Flick- 
inger Chapel,  boys'  home,  parsonage,  Eastborne, 
and  minor  buildings  were  erected,  and  part  of  the 
land  planted  in  coffee  trees,  and  a  part  of  it  con- 
tinuously farmed. 


OUR   MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE        75 

As  the  Caulkers,  from  the  beginning  of  our 
work  to  the  present,  have  had  a  conspicuous  part  in 
it,  the  readers  will  be  interested  to  know  something 
of  their  history.  The  following  facts  I  have 
learned  from  Mr.  J.  A.  Cole,  a  native :  "About  the 
year  1750  a  vessel  came  from  England  laden  with 
goods,  and  brought  three  Englishmen,  who  came 
to  seek  their  fortunes  in  West  Africa.  They  were 
Messrs.  Cleveland,  Tucker,  and  Caulker.  Mr. 
Cleveland  landed  at  the  Banana  Island ;  Mr.  S. 
Caulker  came  to  the  Plantain  Island,  and  Mr. 
Tucker  sailed  southeast  and  settled  in  the  country 
of  the  Gbas. 

"The  locality  of  the  Plantain  Island,  and  the 
property  of  the  Caulkers  (by  trafficking  in  slaves 
andnative  products),  awakened  a  spirit  of  jealousy 
in  the  Clevelands.  A  great  enmity  arose  between 
them,  which  soon  led  to  war.  Mr.  Cleveland  col- 
lected an  army  and  suddenly  attacked  the  Plan- 
tain Island,  and  Mr.  Caulker  had  to  surrender. 
The  island  was  then  claimed  by  the  Clevelands, 
and  Mr.  Caulker  was  removed  to  their  headquar- 
ters on  Banana  Island,  and  employed  by  them. 
While  engaged  at  the  Banana  Island,  Mr.  Caulker 
secretly  used  all  his  income  in  securing  implements 
of  war,  and  in  sending  presents  to  various  chiefs 
intheSherbro  country,  as  far  as  the  Boom,  Kithin, 
and  Bompeh  rivers.  This  he  continued  for  several 
years,  until  he  felt  he  was  strong  enough  to  re- 
cover his  lost  estate.  Then  he  suddenly  left  the 
Banana  Island  and  raised  an  army  among  the 
Sherbros  and  made  an  attack  on  his  rival.  A  single 
day's  fight  made  him  again  master  of  Plantain 
Island.     Mr.  Cleveland  soon  after  died,  and  Mr. 


76  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA   LEONE 

Caulker  and  his  brother  remained  in  control  with- 
out further  opposition." 

The  descendants  of  the  Caulkers  from  that  time 
have  ruled  over  the  Sherbros,  on  the  coast  opposite. 
One  of  the  family  became  chief  at  Bompeh,  and 
another  at  Shaingay.  Thomas  Stephen  Caulker, 
who  was  chief  where  our  mission  was  located  at 
Shaingay,  continued  a  heathen  till  early  in  the 
year  1871.  During  a  meeting  held  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Gomer,  this  chief  was  converted,  and  died 
a  Christian  on  the  28th  of  August  following.  Some 
of  his  children  had  been  converted  before  their 
father,  and  the  family  have  been  faithful  friends 
and  supporters  of  our  missions  for  over  a  quarter 
of  a  century. 

The  Caulkers,  as  stated  above,  are  of  English 
blood  on  the  paternal  side,  a  few  generations  back, 
while  on  the  maternal  side  they  are  of  Sherbro  an- 
cestry. This  is  also  true  of  the  Tuckers  and  many 
others  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  But  it  is  not 
always  safe  to  infer  the  lineage  from  the  English 
name  they  bear.  The  natives  are  fond  of  getting  a 
new  name  of  foreign  origin.  Many  of  the  children 
in  the  mission  schools  bear  the  names  of  patrons 
in  America ;  others  bear  English  names  for  the 
same  reason.  It  is  very  amusing  to  hear  the 
names  some  of  the  people  have  given  themselves, 
such  as  "Pepper  Sauce,"  "Two  Copper,"  "Pipe  of 
Tobacco,"  "Bottle  of  Beer,"  "Mashed  Potatoes," 
etc. 

From  the beginningthe  Sherbro  Mission  has  been 
carried  forward  b}^  a  succession  of  faithful  and 
most  worthy  men  and  women,  and  the  work  has 
prospered  in  their  hands. 


OUR   MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE         77 

On  October  21,  1875,  at  a  convention  held  in 
Dayton,  Ohio,  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  v/as  organized, 
and  at  once  became  an  efficient  co-worker  with  the 
General  Board  of  Missions  in  carrying  forward  the 
enterprise  in  Africa.  They  located  their  head- 
quarters at  Kotufimk,  about  fifty  miles  east  of 
Freetown  on  the  Bompeh  River.  The  work  of  this 
station  was  begun  in  the  autumn  of  1877,  by  Miss 
Emily  Beeken,  who  at  the  end  of  nineteen  months 
was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  M.  M.  Mair,  and  has  since 
been  followed  by  others  equally  noble  and  devoted, 
whose  labors  have  been  blessed  and  prospered 
abundantly.  At  this  center  of  the  work  of  the 
Woman's  Missionary  Association  there  is  a  chapel, 
high-school  building,  home  for  the  missionaries, 
girls'  home,  boys'  home,  a  workshop,  and  a  store- 
house— all  good  buildings  of  wood  and  stone.  They 
had  employed  in  this  field,  the  first  of  May,  1898, 
eight  Americans,  two  of  whom  were  physicians, 
one  a  mechanic,  and  five  were  teachers  or  pastors ; 
also  eight  native  pastors  and  teachers.  These  were 
employed  at  twelve  different  circuits  or  stations. 
Some  of  these  circuits  included  forty  towns  and 
villages  where  services  were  held,  and  new  fields 
were  being  entered  continually  by  these  zealous 
workmen. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  year  1883,  the 
American  Missionary  Association,  of  ISTew  York, 
which  had  carried  on  the  Mendi  Mission  since 
1841,  turned  the  same  over  to  our  Board.  Their 
two  chief  stations  were  Good  Hope,  at  Bonthe, 
where  there  was  a  good  chapel,  school-house,  resi- 
dence, and  a  tract  of  land    now    in  the  city    of 


78  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Bonthe ;  and  Avery,  where  there  was  a  good  chapel, 
residence,  sawmill,  and  a  coffee  farm ;  a  farm  at 
Kaw-Mendi  and  one  at  Mo-Tappan  were  included. 

The  transfer  of  these  stations,  and  their  equip- 
ment, and  nearly  $40,000  in  money  for  their  main- 
tenance, brought  new  responsibilities  and  enlarged 
our  field. 

The  American  Missionary  Association  had  be- 
come discouraged  over  the  meager  returns,  and 
wishing  to  engage  mission  work  elsewhere,  after 
an  expenditure  of  $300,000  (so  I  was  informed), 
and  the  death  of  many  of  their  workmen,  they 
kindy  transferred  all  their  African  interests  to 
us.  About  this  same  time  $13,000  was  received 
from  the  Freedman's  Mission  Aid  Society  of  Lon- 
don, England,  through  the  influence  and  services 
of  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Flickinger,  who  was  for  over 
thirty  years  connected,  more  or  less  intimately 
with,  and  rendered  distinguished  service  in,  this 
field  of  work. 

The  work  of  converting  the  natives  was  very 
slow  for  many  years.  Thomas  Tucker  was  the  first 
convert.  He  was  found,  and  brought  to  the  mis- 
sion in  18,57,  a  raw  heathen.  The  superintendent, 
Rev.  J.  K.  Billheimer,  who  with  his  noble  wife 
served  this  mission  most  ably  for  many  years,  em- 
ployed Thomas  as  a  laborer,  and  afterwards  as 
boat-captain.  He  was  honest  and  trustworthy,  but 
slow  in  grasping  the  plan  of  salvation.  The  exact 
date  of  his  conversion  is  not  known,  but  in  1870, 
when  Mr.  Gomer  and  wife  came  to  this  field, 
Thomas  was  greatly  aroused  and  made  a  fuller 
consecration  of  himself  to  God.  Mr.  Gomer  pushed 
him  forward  in  religious  services,  especially  after 


OUR    MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE        79 

the  organization  of  our  first  African  church,  in 
1875.  He  became  very  influential  with  Chief 
Caulker,  who  made  Mr.  Tucker  a  sub-chief  ovei- 
a  large  district.  In  1885  he  died,  after  having 
been  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  for  the  two  years 
prior  to  his  decease.  He  lived  a  good  life  and  was 
widely  influential. 

Lucy  Caulker  was  another  one  of  the  earliest 
converts.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  old  chief, 
and  was  opposed  in  her  early  Christian  life,  but 
maintained  her  integrity,  and  finally  saw  her 
father  and  most  of  his  family  converted.  She  and 
her  sisters,  and  her  brother,  Chief  Thomas  Neal 
Caulker,  and  many  of  the  children,  have  become 
members  of  the  church  at  Shaingay.  The  chief 
acted  as  my  interpreter  the  last  time  I  preached 
in  Shaingay  Chapel. 

From  small  beginnings,  and  after  years  of  dis- 
couragement, the  work  suddenly  sprang  forward, 
wide  revivals  followed,  and  now  over  6,000  souls 
have  had  their  names  placed  on  church  records, 
most  of  whom,  it  is  believed,  are  converted  to  God 
from  their  former  heathenism.  The  work  has 
spread  from  Shaingay  in  the  west  to  Mongherri  in 
the  east;  and  from  Rokell  in  the  north  to  Bonthe 
in  the  south.  Of  course,  the  whole  of  this  region 
is  not  occupied,  but  its  conquest  is  under  way.  In 
the  persons  of  the  missionaries  and  their  con- 
verts, new  ideals  of  life  are  working  their 
silent  but  certain  transformations  of  character. 
In  the  word  of  God  read  and  preached,  a  light 
has  dawned,  the  morning  star  of  a  day  of  hope 
for  this  long  benighted  people.  In  the  literary 
and    industrial    schools    established,    many    noble 


80  MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

young  men  and  women  have  already  been  trained, 
the  first-fruits,  the  earnest  of  a  great  host  ran- 
somed from  their  former  degradation. 

The  following  are  the  assignments  of  the  work- 
men to  their  several  fields,  made  at  the  annual  con- 
ference held  in  Shaingay,  January  1,  2,  1898. 
Bompeh  District  is  the  part  under  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Association ;  Sherbro-Mendi  District 
is  the  field  occupied  by  the  General  Board  of  Mis- 
sions : 

Bompeh  District — /.  N.  Cain,  P.  E. 

Rotufunk  Station — Dr.  Mary  E.  Archer,  pas- 
tor. 

Rotufunk  School — Miss  F.  M.  Cronise,  prin- 
cipal; Miss  Minnie  Eaton,  Mrs.  M.  M.  Cain,  and 
J.  Weaver,  teachers. 

Rotufunk  Girls'  Home — Miss  Ella  Schenck, 
matron. 

Rotufunk  Industrial  Department — A.  A.  Ward. 

Rotufunk  Medical  Department — Dr.  Mary 
Archer. 

River  Circuit — A.  A.  Ward,  assisted  by  pupils 
of  Rotufunk  School. 

Rotufunk  Circuit — J.  Dodds. 

Palli  Circuit — J.  B.  W.  Johnson. 

Bompeh  Circuit— To  be  supplied. 

Masimera  Circuit— To  be  supplied. 

Makundo  Circuit— T.  F.  Hallowell. 

Mongherri  Circuit— George  Keister. 

Kwallu  Circuit— Mrs.  J.  Thompson. 

Somanasogo  School— J.  Dodds. 

Taiama — Rev.  and  Mrs.  L.  A.  McGrew. 

Taiama  Medical  Department— Dr.  M.  Hatfield. 

Taiama  Itinerant — I.  Inskip. 


OUR   MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE         81 

Sherhro-Mendi  District— L.  0.  Burtner,  P.  E. 

Avery  Station  and  Circuit— F,  S.  Minshall;  C. 
A.  Remmie  and  J.  E.  Hughes,  assistants. 

Avery  School — Myrtle  Minshall;  Laura  Rem- 
mie, assistant. 

Good  Hope  Station— R.  C.  Taylor;  F.  A.  An- 
thony, assistant. 

Good  Hope  School— A.  T.  Sumner,  T.  A.  Davis, 
and  Mrs.  Jane  Randall. 

Daymah  Circuit— E.  C.  Bickersteth. 

Otterbein  Circuit— J.  A.  Evans ;  assistant  to  be 
supplied. 

Jehovah  Circuit — H.  J.  Williams. 

Mano  (Mendi)  Circuit— C.  A.  Columbus. 

Damballah  Circuit— S.  B.  Morrison. 

Mandoh  Circuit— I^ot  supplied. 

Shaingay  Circuit— A.  T.  Howard. 

Shaingay  School— A,  T.  Howard,  principal; 
May  S.  Howard,  A.  T.  Caulker,  and  Henry  Evans, 
assistants. 

Superintendent  of  Boj^s'  and  Girls'  Home— Mrs. 
L.  O.  Burtner. 

Rembee— G.  R.  Woolsley. 

Mocobo— Stephen  B.  Caulker. 

Work  to  be  arranged  for  Kezia  Funkhouser. 

Besides  the  houses  and  their  equipment  at  the 
above-named  stations,  the  General  Board  has 
eleven  farms,  of  100  to  160  acres  each.  They  nre 
located  at  Shaingay,  Mambo,  Rembee,  Kooloong, 
Mufus,  Tonkola,  Mocobo,  Charmany,  Avery, 
Bonthe,  Kaw-Mendi,  and  Mo-Tappan.  The  Wom- 
an's Association  has  farms  of  about  the  same  size 
at  Rotufunk,  Palli,  Rokon,  Kwallu,  and  Taiama. 
These  farms  were  given  by  the  native  chiefs,  a?  a 


82  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

contribution  toward  the  support  of  missions  and 
schools.  They  have  never  yet  been  fully  utilized 
but  they  are  capable  of  furnishing  a  revenue,  as 
well  as  becoming  model  farms  to  teach  the  natives 
better  methods  of  agriculture. 

Besides  these  farms,  the  mission  property  here, 
o^^^led  by  the  General  Board,  is  estimated  at  $55,- 
000;  and  an  expenditure  has  been  made  in  this 
field  by  the  same  Board,  of  nearly  $300,000,  be- 
sides an  equal  amount  expended  by  the  American 
Missionary  Association,  before  transferring  their 
Mendi  Mission  to  us.  The  permament  property 
of  the  Woman's  Board  is  given  in  their  last  report 
at  $17,000,  and  their  expenditures  in  this  field 
have  been  $101,316.26. 

The  most  valuable  assets  of  the  mission  are  its 
faithful  missionaries,  American  and  native ;  its 
converts ;  its  trained  young  men  and  women ;  and 
the  good  seed  sown  in  the  hearts  of  many  thou- 
sands of  natives  who  are  not  yet  saved. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DIFFICULTIES  TO  BE  MET. 

It  is  unwise  to  conceal,  or  to.  ignore  the  difficul- 
ties in  any  undertaking.  This  is  very  true  con- 
cerning the  field  of  which  I  write,  for  in  many 
things  to  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed. 

1.  The  Climate  is  unfriendly  to  the  white  man. 
The  extreme,  continuous  heat  and  moisture  cauio 
rapid  growth  and  decay  of  vegetation,  and  this, 
added  to  the  sluggish  streams  and  numerous  ponds 
and  mangrove  swamps  covered  several  feet  deep 
with  fetid  mud,  along  the  flat  coast  regions,  fills 
the  air  with  malarial  poison,  and  the  breathing  of 
this  air  is  sooner  or  later  followed  by  African,  or 
malarial  fever.  Not  much  is  fully  known  of  the 
nature  of  this  fever.  The  physicians  generally 
say  that  the  malarial  microbes  act  on  the  red 
corpuscles,  leaving  nothing  of  them  but  the  dark 
pigment  found  in  the  skin  and  organs  of  malarial 
subjects;  that  the  microbes  appear  at  the  com- 
mencement of  an  attack  of  fever,  and  increase  in 
quantity  as  the  fever  increases,  and  decrease  as  it 
decreases ;  and  that  by  examining  the  blood  they 
are  able  fairly  well  to  tell  how  many  remissions 
may  be  expected,  and  to  judge  of  the  severity  oi 
the  case ;  which,  with  the  knowledge  that  quinine 
only  effects  malarial  microbes  at  a  certain  stage  of 
their  existence,  is  helpful  in  treatment. 

The  natives  do  not  suffer  much  from  this  fever. 
Their  constant,  and  to  us  excessive,  use  of  red 

83 


84  MISSION    WORK    IN    f^IKKlfA    LEONE 

pepper  in  their  food  evidently  helps  to  prevent 
it.  Their  easy,  slow  movement,  rarely  becoming 
fatigued,  is  also  favorable  to  resisting  the  fever. 
\yhen  they  do  take  it,  they  use  a  tea  made  from  a 
native  herb,  and  soon  recover.  (This  "fever  plant" 
of  the  natives  should  receive  attention  from  the 
whites. ) 

I  suffered  of  this  fever  in  less  than  three  months 
after  reaching  Africa,  but  this  was  due  to  sleeping 
on  the  rivers  in  an  open  boat,  wading  through 
swamps,  and  overworking. 

Our  mission  has  lost  a  fewer  number  of  person?? 
(four  in  all)  from  sickness  than  any  other  class  of 
foreigners  of  equal  numbers.  This  is  duo  to  the  su- 
perior persons,  and  the  more  complete  obedience  to 
sanitary  laws,  as  well  as  a  kind  Providence.  By 
obedience  to  the  following  conditions  our  people 
may  continue  to  have  comparative  immunity  from 
the  ravages  of  this  fever :  Avoid  all  liquors  ;  boil 
all  drinking  water ;  learn  the  proper  use  of  quinine ; 
avoid  all  chill,  if  possible ;  avoid  over-exertion  and 
worry ;  eat  the  evening  meal  at  from  6  to  7  o'clock, 
and  before  starting  out  in  the  morning  have  a  good 
cup  of  tea  or  coffee,  and  bread  and  butter;  eat 
much  red  pepper  with  the  food;  perfectly  trust 
that  Providence  that  guards  the  sparrow,  and  much 
more  cares  for  his  children ;  and  visit  Mt.  Leices- 
ter, and  home,  when  necessary. 

2.  The  Mode  of  Travel  is  another  difficulty  in 
this  region.  Horses  cannot  live  here  Some  say 
the  natives,  who  get  their  living  by  hammock- 
carrying,  poison  them ;  others  say  the  tsetse  fly  de- 
stroys them ;  while  the  probable  fact  is,  that  en- 
tozoa  kill  them.     Across  the  country  the  hammock 


DIFFICULTIES   TO    BE    MET  85 

is  the  only  conveyance.  The  hammock  is  slung  to 
a  pole  of  bamboo  or  to  a  sawed  scantling,  and  a 
board  three  feet  long  is  fastened  to  each  end.  The 
traveler  sits,  or  reclines,  in  the  hammock,  which 
hangs  under  the  pole,  and  the  boards  rest  on  the 
heads  of  four  natives.  The  paths  are  frequently 
too  narrow  for  the  hammock,  or  they  cross  rough 
places  or  over  a  stream  bridged  by  a  foot-log — 
in  any  of  these  cases  the  traveler  must  descend  and 
walk.  If  the  stream  is  wide,  a  "dugout"  canoe  is 
the  means  of  transit ;  or  if  it  is  a  wide  pond,  the 
traveler  mounts  upon  the  shoulders  of  a  big  black 
man,  who  carries  him  over.  I  was  once  carried 
two  hundred  yards  through  water  four  feet  deep 
in  this  manner,  and  on  the  trip  I  laughed  heartily 
to  think  how  funny  it  would  be  if  the  black  carrier 
should  fall  and  give  me  a  bath. 

Our  stations  lie  over  one  hundred  miles  along 
the  ocean  coast,  and  the  mode  of  travel  in  this  case 
is  most  frequently  in  a  sail-and-row-boat,  as  here 
it  is  rarely  convenient  to  take  a  steamer  on  the 
ocean,  and  never  possible  up  and  down  the  rivers. 
The  contrary  wind,  the  opposing  tide,  the  sudden 
tornado  of  violent  wind,  flashing  lightning,  roar- 
ing thunder,  and  deluging  rain,  and  the  fright- 
ened, panic-stricken  native  oarsmen  are  not  easily 
described. 

3  Add  to  these  the  continuous  heat,  absence  of 
home  friends,  and  the  worry  incident  to  dealing 
with  the  natives,  and  one  will  know  some  of  the 
difficulties  which  wear  out  the  vital  forces  of  the 
missionary.  I  here  present  a  paper  written  by 
Mrs.  Zella  B.  King,  one  of  our  missionaries,  which 
presents  well  the 


86  mission  work  in  sikrra  leone 

"dangers  and  difficulties  of  missionary  life. 

''The  life  of  a'missionarv  is  one  of  varied  ex- 
periences. At  times  everything  seems  bright  and 
hopeful,  and  again  there  seems  to  be  much  that  is 
dark  and  discouraging.  Sometimes  there  is  a 
ready  response  to  all  his  efforts,  and  the  changing 
scenes  and  conditions  add  interest  to  his  life.  At 
other  times  his  sowing  promises  little  fruitage  and 
his  daily  duties  become  monotonous  and  dull. 

"Civilization  has  produced  many  conveniences 
that  we  cannot  have  in  Africa.  One  of  the  first 
inconveniences  the  missionary  must  meet  after  ar- 
riving is  that  of  travel.  lie  has  been  accustomed 
to  be  carried  over  the  land  in  comfortable  railway 
trains.  Here,  many  of  the  journeys  must  be  made 
by  sea  in  boats  propelled  by  oars  and  sails.  The 
boat  moves  so  slowly  at  times  against  wind  and 
current  that  days  are  required  to  make  a  journey 
of  a  hundred  miles.  At  times  the  sea  is  as  calm  as 
a  summer  lake,  and  again  it  is  so  wild  and  furious 
that  we  think  our  little  boat  will  be  buried  in  the 
deep. 

"On  land  we  must  either  walk  or  be  carried  in 
hammocks.  At  first  one  feels  unwilling  to  be  car- 
ried thus,  and  see  the  strong-muscled  men  puffing 
and  sweating  to  relieve  you  of  the  fatigue  of  walk- 
ing. One  never  seems  so  heavy  to  himself  as  when, 
he  sits  in  a  hammock  and  sees  the  hard  boards 
resting  on  the  heads  of  men,  and  hears  them 
])anting  up  the  steep  places.  It  is  trying  to  one's 
feeling  of  independence  and  self-respect.  But 
these  men  are  accustomed  to  the  work  and  glad  for 
the  opportunity  of  earning  a  few  pence.  It  is 
necessary  also  to  save  ourselveswhenevcr  possible  if 


DIFFICULTIES   TO    BE   MET  87 

we  hope  to  live  long  in  this  climate.  The  new- 
comer must  learn  also  to  care  for  his  health.  The 
land  is  so  beautiful  that  it  is  hard  to  realize  it  is 
filled  with  malaria,  but  it  is  too  true.  There  are 
few  whom  the  fever  does  not  attack.  In  our  own 
mission  we  have  been  very  fortunate  in  this  re- 
spect. Although  we  have  not  been  free  from 
fevers,  yet  we  have  suffered  less  than  others. 

"A  missionary,  to  keep  well  and  happy  here,  must 
learn  to  possess  his  soul  in  patience,  or  he  will  soon 
be  worn  out  by  the  cares  and  worries  of  every- 
day life.  He  must  expect  things  to  move  slowly 
and  his  plans  often  to  be  disturbed.  He  must  be 
willing  to  await  results,  for  one  of  the  greatest 
obstacles  has  been  the  total  indifference  to  spiritual 
things,  which  the  heathen  everyAvhere  evinces.  It 
sometimes  seems  that  the  labor  has  been  in  vain, 
but  He  who  has  bidden  us  'go'  will  care  for  his 
own.  It  is  ours  but  to  be  faithful  to  the  task  he 
has  assigned  us. 

"I  have  been  asked  to  give  some  personal  experi- 
ences and  mention  some  of  the  difficulties  we  have 
had.  As  we  look  back  over  the  three  years  spent 
in  this  colony  we  remember  a  few  dark  days.  But 
there  has  never  been  a  day  so  dark  that  there  has 
not  been  a  gleam  of  sunshine.  There  have  been 
times  when  it  was  necessary  that  some  sacrifices  be 
made  and  a  few  dangers  encountered,  but  His 
strength  has  always  been  sufficient. 

"Among  some  of  our  personal  difficulties  are 
separation,  with  limited  means  of  communication. 
During  the  last  eighteen  months  Mr.  King  has 
been  absent  from  home  one-half  the  time.  For 
weeks  together  I  have  not  been  able  to  hear  from 


00  MISSION    WOKK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

him.  To  remember  the  dangers  on  the  sea,  the 
deadly  climate  with  its  fevers,  which  so  frequently 
strike  down  the  victims  in  a  few  days,  the  ex- 
posure to  rains,  and  the  poor  houses  in  which  he 
must  often  lodge,  is  a  trial  which  drives  one  to  the 
dear  Saviour  for  comfort. 

''We  had  another  trial,  with  burglars.  Once  in 
Bonthe,  when  alone,  I  awoke  in  the  night  with  the 
sound  of  some  one  in  my  room.     When  I  looked 

1  discovered  a  man  at  a  trunk,  beginning  to  help 
himself.  He  was  naked,  so  as  to  be  less  incum- 
bered if  discovered,  and  also  had  a  weapon  of  de- 
fense. He  did  not  leave  the  room  until  I  arose  and 
went  toward  him.  Following  him  to  the  window 
through  which  he  had  entered,  I  saw  his  compan- 
ion outside.  Thieves  disturb  in  America,  but  here 
the  restraint  of  law  is  slight  and  the  heathen  mind 
is  cruel  and  savage. 

"There  are  many  little  annoyances  in  dealing 
with  the  people,  that  wear  on  aperson.  The  heathen 
by  nature  are  childlike  and  dependent.  They  are 
forgetful,  and  without  fixed  moral  principles  to 
govern  them.  They  are  creatures  of  impulse.  They 
imagine  a  missionary  can  settle  all  difficulties, 
hence  he  has  to  hear  many  unpleasant  things  be- 
tween persons. 

"We  have  been  in  some  very  heavy  storms  on  the 
sea  in  our  little  boat,  and  once  when  very  ill,  were 
a  day  and  a  night  under  a  heavy  rain ;  so  that  we 
consider  it  nothing  less  than  a  kind  Providence 
that  intervened.  It  makes  the  Father  more  real 
to  us  to  feel  that  he  stretches  out  his  arm  and  saves 
his  children  from  special  danger.  One  feels 
ash  a  mod  to  mention  these  trials  when  we  reraem- 


DIFFICULTIES   TO    BE   MET  89 

ber  how  freely  his  grace  is  given.  'Most  gladly 
therefore  will  I  rather  glory  in  my  infirmities, 
that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me.  There- 
fore I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches, 
in  necessities,  in  persecutions,  in  distresses  for 
Christ's  sake:  for  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I 
strong.'  " 


CHAPTEK  V. 

MECHANICAL^  AGRICULTURAL;,  AND  MEDICAL  WORK. 

To  the  careful  observer  the  mission  that  expends 
its  whole  effort  to  secure  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen  is  making  a  mistake.  It  is  also  a  mis- 
take to  educate  them  in  a  knowledge  of  books 
merely.  The  natives  here  have  good  memories  and 
large  imitativeness,  and  hence  learn  to  read  and 
write  with  great  ease.  This  is  always  in  danger 
of  inflating  their  vanity.  One  of  the  evils  of  the 
Mohammedan  teacher  is  that  he  plays  upon  this 
vanity  of  the  native,  by  making  him  believe  that 
he  is  a  "bookman,"  when  he  can  barely  read  and 
write. 

There  are  now  as  many  clerks  as  are  needed  for 
the  civil  service  in  Sierra  Leone.  Every  native 
who  has  some  education  is  in  danger  of  thinking 
that  this  entitles  him  to  get  a  living  without  doing 
any  manual  labor.  Hence,  the  most  urgent  need  in 
this  field  is  to  combine  with  religious  and  literary 
teaching  technical  training  of  such  a  character  as 
will  make  manual  labor  honorable  in  the  eyes  of 
the  natives.  Slavery,  of  course,  has  made  labor 
dishonorable,  but  it  can  be  made  honorable  by 
making  it  possible  to  do  the  work  in  a  superior 
fashion. 

The  native's  method  of  farming  is  very  rude, 
and  he  produces  only  what  supplies,  in  the  most 
limited  manner  his  daily  wants.  The  soil  is 
productive   and   yields   a   generous   return.     The 

.90 


MECHANICAL,    AGRICULTURAL,    MEDICAL        91 

native  hoe,  ax,  and  cutlass  must  be  supplanted  by 
better  implements,  not  the  best  known  to  us,  but 
better  than  they  know  now.  Our  farms  there 
should  be  used  to  show  the  natives  how  best  to  raise 
cassava,  corn,  rice,  vegetables,  cotton,  coffee,  tea, 
bananas,  pineapples,  oranges,  limes,  native  cher- 
ries, ''Bundoo  fruit,"  and  other  native  fruits, 
plants,  and  vines. 

The  man  who  will  teach  the  natives  how  to  yoke 
the  ox  and  train  him  to  the  plow  and  the  cart'  and 
the  saddle  will  confer  an  unspeakable  favor.  The 
raising  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats  for  food  and  ex- 
port may  become  an  important  industry,  as  well  as 
a  help  to  elevate  the  natives,  by  engaging  them  in 
honest  toil. 

Quite  as  important  is  it  to  teach  them  how  to 
utilize  the  iron,  stone,  clay,  and  timber.  Iron  ore 
is  abundant,  but  only  the  simplest  tools  are  made 
in  the  country.  Clay  is  found  for  pottery  or 
bricks,  but  only  a  few  rude  pots  are  produced. 
Timber  is  good  and  abundant,  but  it  is  utilized 
only  in  a  primitive  way.  We  must  teach  the  youth 
how  to  handle  and  take  care  of  the  mattock,  hoe, 
ax,  hammer,  hatchet,  saw,  adz,  chisel,  and  auger, 
and  the  lathe;  and  how  to  make  nails,  knives, 
forks,  spoons,  plates,  etc. ;  also  improved  methods 
of  spinning,  weaving,  cutting  and  making  clothes, 
as  well  as  how  to  cook  and  serve  a  wider  and  better 
variety  of  food.  This  will  take  time,  men,  and 
money;  but  it  will  tell  more  for  civilization,  and 
for  making  permanent  the  religious  work  than  all 
the  book  knowledge  possible.  Do  not  diminish  the 
latter  kind  of  knowledge,  but  increase  the  mechan- 
ical and  agricultural  kind. 


92  MISSION   WORK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

I  have  heard  Governor  Cardew  express  himself 
earnestly  in  favor  of  industrial  education  for  the 
natives. 

The  Right  Rev.  E.  G.  Ingham,  D.  D.,  former 
Bishop  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  for  many  years  a 
resident  of  Freetown,  is  very  emphatic  on  this  sub- 
ject.    He  says : 

''Experience  is  daily  proving  to  those  who  have 
eyes  to  see,  that  the  peculiar  past  history  of  this 
race  demands  special  consideration  on  the  part  of 
those  who  aspire  to  educate.  Any  failure,  for  in- 
stance, to  realize  the  irresponsibility  of  the  lot  of 
the  slave,  the  utter  barrenness  of  his  surroundings, 
the  license  into  which  liberty  would  tend  to  de- 
generate, or  the  disgust  at  manual  labor  that  would 
naturally  characterize  the  newly  emancipated, 
would  be  fatal  to  the  adoption  of  suitable  methods 
of  training.  When  the  missionary  receives  under 
his  care  a  youth  who  has  been  living  under  the 
patriarchial  system  of  domestic  slavery,  and  whose 
fathers  before  him  were  slaves,  when  he  puts 
clothes  on  his  body,  and  a  book  in  one  hand,  he 
should,  unless  he  courts  failure,  put  a  tool  in  the 
other. 

"What  we  would  press  upon  the  attention  of  our 
educationalists  is  simply  this :  That  c  ery  elemen- 
tary or  higher  grade  school  should  have  its  tech- 
nical department,  however  small ;  that  it  should  be 
under  a  well-trained  European  Christian  me- 
chanic, M'ho  should  have  some  three  or  four  man- 
ual trades  in  his  fingers ;  that  this  should  he 
definite  Christian  worl- ;  that  the  technical  class 
should  be  as  compulsory,  a:^  much  a  part  of  the 
school  curriculum  as  the  scripture  or  the  grammar 


MECHANICAL,   AGRICULTURAL,   MEDICAL       93 

lesson;  that  every  boy  should  have  a  course  of 
training  in  carpentering,  turning,  forging,  etc., 
quite  irrespective  of  the  particular  part  for  which 
he  is  being  trained.  It  is  evident  that  the  break 
thus  created  in  the  monotonous  round  of  daily 
study  must  be  a  great  relief,  and  tend  to  quicken 
apprehension,  and  there  is  abundant  room  for 
these  classes  in  the  school  regime  of  each  day." 

This  quotation  contains  profound  wisdom.  The 
course  here  recommended  would  develop  the  me- 
chanical genius,  of  which  the  natives,  by  lack  of 
use,  are  notably  deficient ;  it  would  also  fit  them 
for  some  useful  pursuit. 

Some  instruction  in  medicine  should  be  given 
in  some  one  of  our  African  schools.  It  need  not 
be  a  full  course  in  order  to  be  very  helpful  where 
physicians  are  so  scarce  and  where  the  witch-doc- 
tor is  the  chief  resort  in  case  of  sickness.  The  fol- 
lowing letter  from  Doctor  Archer,  at  Rotufunk, 
will  indicate  the  work  of  a  medical  missionary  in 
this  region: 

'^During  the  past  two  years  in  Africa  I  have 
treated  hundreds  of  patients  with  varying  shades 
of  diseases,  from  the  'chigger,'  in  the  small  boy's 
toe  to  smallpox  and  tertiary  syphilis.  We  have 
an  office  and  dispensary  where  patients  come  regu- 
larly every  morning  for  treatment,  for  which  a 
small  fee  is  charged  (varying  from  one  shilling  to 
one  pound  per  month,  according  to  the  nature  and 
severity  of  the  case).  Some  are  covered  with 
sores  from  head  to  foot. 

"I  have  two  assistants,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  who 
help  Avash  and  dress  the  patients'  sores  and  attend 
to  their  bodily  ailments  in  general. 


94  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

''Every  morning,  after  their  physical  ills  are  ad- 
ministered to,  the  patients  assemble  in  the  office, 
some  seated  on  benches  and  chairs,  while  others 
are  seated  on  the  floor,  where  they  eagerly  listen 
while  w^e  read  and  interpret  the  Scriptures  to 
them,  teaching  them  mainly  of  the  life  of  Christ 
and  of  the  plan  of  salvation ;  sometimes  we  use  our 
Sunday-School  Bible  Lesson  Charts  to  illustrate 
the  lesson,  as  they  can  grasp  the  thoughts  better 
when  they  can  see  the  illustrated  picture,  which 
they  are  very  eager  for  when  a  new  one  is  presented. 

"Many  of  them  come  from  'up  country,'  several 
days'  journey,  and  have  never  heard  of  the  Son 
of  God.  Jesus  Christ  is  a  strange  name  to  them. 
Often  Mohammedans  come  with  their  false  ideas, 
and  here  in  the  medical  department  for  the  first 
time  in  their  lives  they  listen  to  the  story  of  the 
cross,  and  when  I  tell  them  that  Jesus  loves  them 
in  their  sickness  and  miserable  condition,  they  say, 
'I  am  so  glad  to  hear  that  word.' 

"One  woman,  after  having  been  cured,  said 
'When  I  first  came  to  you  for  treatment,  I  did  not 
believe  a  word  you  said  about  this  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ,  but  when  I  found  that  you  could 
cure  my  sickness,  and  now  my  sores  are  healed,  I 
believe  it  all,  and  now  I  am  so  glad  I  have  accepted 
this  sweet  religion.' 

"The  people  are  very  superstitious  regarding 
their  sickness  They  think  their  disease,  of  what- 
ever nature,  is  due  to  a  witch — either  some  enemy 
has  witched  them  or  they  themselves  are  guilty  of 
witchcraft.  Sometimes  they  think  they  have  un- 
wittingly offended  one  of  their  numerous  devils 
and  that  he  is  angry  with  them,  and  they  have 


MECHANICAL,    AGRICULTURAL,    MEDICAL        95 

'pulled  plenty  sacrifice'  to  the  devil  before  com- 
ing to  me  for  treatment.  These  devil  sacrifices 
consist  in  a  ceremony  of  pouring  water  for  the 
devils,  placing  for  him  some  choice  rice  or  other 
food,  sacrificing  animals,  erecting  a  long  pole  with 
a  white  rag  tied  to  the  top  near  the  'devil  house' 
(which  protects  almost  every  town),  or  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  'devil  bush.'  They  also  beg  their 
ancestors  to  intercede  for  them,  etc. 

"When  these  devices  fail  to  appease  the  wrath  of 
the  devil,  and  when  the  'country  doctor'  with  his 
magical  arts  and  charms  and  his  boiled  leaves  and 
roots,  over  which  he  has  'pulled  magic,'  fail,  the 
afflicted  ones  come  to  us,  saying,  'The  witch  done 
catch  me  bad.' 

"We  first  try  to  relieve  their  minds  of  the  witch 
idea  and  plant  a  seed  of  Christianity,  which  is 
often  choked  by  these  superstitious  ideas  which 
have  been  handed  down  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. 

"I  assure  them  that  their  disease  has  a  natural 
cause,  and  that  instead  of  praying  to  their  an- 
cestors and  the  devil,  who  cannot  help  them,  they 
should  pray  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  so  loved  them 
that  he  gave  his  life  for  them,  and  as  we  kneel  to- 
gether in  prayer  for  them  their  voices  may  be 
heard  saying,  '.Ye  pa  yi !'  (So  let  it  be.)  Thus 
they  are  praying  to  the  true  God ;  their  hearts  are 
reaching  out  after  something  better  than  they  have 
known.  Oh  for  more  consecrated  workers  to  lead 
these  minds  and  hearts,  which  are  just  ready  to  be 
molded,  to  the  great  'Fountain  of  healing.'  'The 
harvest  truly  is  great.' 

"The    people    forsake     even   their    immediate 


96  MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERKA    LEONE 

friends  when  they  become  sick.  Husbands  abandon 
their  wives,  and  wives  their  husbands,  when  they 
become  disabled.  What  love  existed  in  health 
seems  to  die  when  one  becomes  sick  or  helj^less,  and 
they  often  say,  'Makie  die  one  time,'  that  is,  let 
the  sick  one  die  at  once;  and  if  he  lingers  with 
sickness,  they  say,  'He  can  humbug  plenty.'  Yet 
when  he  die's  the  whole  neighborhood  sets  up  a 
wail  which  is  prolonged  for  several  days,  accord- 
ing to  the  rank  of  the  deceased.  If  a  'big  man' 
dies,  the  people  fire  guns,  drink  rum,  'pull  big 
eat,'  dance,  etc.,  which  continues  for  days  and  even 
weeks  and  months. 

"We  hope  to  have  a  hospital  soon,  so  that  when 
patients  are  brought  down  from  the  interior  we 
can  have  a  place,  with  the  proper  sanitary  condi- 
tions, to  care  for  them ;  but  at  the  present,  patients 
are  brought  several  days'  journey  in  hauuuocks 
and  placed  in  a  native  mud  house  with  little  or  no 
care,  no  nurse  or  attendant  but  possibly  a  slave 
child. 

"I  call  to  mind  one  woman  thus  brought,  and 
when  I  made  my  morning  visits  after  office  hours  I 
would  find  the  woman,  in  a  nude  condition,  lying  on 
the  earth  floor,  without  even  a  straw  mat  under 
her  or  a  country  cloth  over  her,  with  sometirnes 
a  rough  stick  under  her  head  as  a  kind  of  pillow, 
the  stick  being  left  over  from  a  fire  made  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  by  the  child  attendant,  the 
previous  night. 

"If  a  heavy  rain  fell  during  the  night  or  day  it 
would  beat  into  the  house  and  soak  the  ground, 
when,  if  the  woman  had  strength  enough,  she 
would  crawl  out  to  a  dry  place  in  some  corner ;  if 


MECHANICAL,   AGRICULTURAL,   MEDICAL        97 

not,  she  would  remain  in  the  mud  and  water. 
Sometimes  she  would  tell  me  through  my  inter- 
preter that  she  had  had  nothing  to  eat  for  a  whole 
day.  I  would  give  her  a  dose  of  medicine  and  leave 
her  in  the  hands  of  God,  for  no  person  was  there 
to  whom  I  could  commit  the  charge,  and  hasten  on 
to  another  case  in  almost  the  same  condition. 

"Another  case  is  that  of  a  man,  who,  I  am  in- 
formed, had  been  sick  for  seven  years  and  had  not 
taken  a  step  for  more  than  a  year,  having  rheu- 
matism with  some  complications.  He  was  brought 
here  from  a  distant  to^vn  and  given  quarters  in  the 
home  of  his  friends.  He  had  but  very  little  atten- 
tion from  his  people,  but  was  able  to  take  the  medi- 
cine left  him,  without  any  assistance.  He  often 
had  food  but  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  I 
often  went  in  and  found  his  mat  and  country  cloth, 
his  only  articles  of  bedding,  soaked  with  the  rain 
which  had  beaten  in  through  the  rude  window  or 
the  open  bamboo  roof,  and  occasionally  found  him 
crouched  in  one  corner  which  seemed  to  be  drier 
than  the  rest.  As  soon  as  the  man  had  recovered 
sufficiently  he  cooked  rice  or  cassava  for  himself. 
After  about  three  months'  treatment,  with  these 
unfavorable  conditions,  the  man  was  able  to  walk 
a  half  mile  with  little  fatigue.  With  favorable 
conditions  he  would  have  recovered  much  sooner. 

"In  another  dark  house  I  went  through  two  or 
three  dark,  damp  rooms  (on  the  walls  of  which  a 
low-grade  of  vegetation  was  springing  up)  to  a  lit- 
tle back  room,  dark,  damp,  moldy,  and  filthy,  with 
sickening  odors  so  strong  that  I  was  compelled  to 
hasten  out  into  the  air  and  sunshine,  for  which  T 
thanked  the  dear  Lord.     In  this  little  back  room 


98  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

a  woman  lay  on  a  rude  kind  of  bed,  'sick  unto 
death.' 

"She  was  the  only  occupant  of  the  house.  Some 
days  the  people  would  carry  her  food  and  some 
days  she  had  none.  It  is  not  necessary  to  add  that 
she  soon  crossed  over. 

"Anxious  for  the  physical  and  spiritual  condi- 
tion of  these  people,  I  long  for  the  time  when  the 
'Son  of  righteousness'  shall  arise  with  healing  in 
his  wings  over  this  great  moral  canker  of  heathen- 
ism." 


CHAPTEK  VI. 

SOME    WORK    BEING    DONE. 

The  following  papers,  written  in  Africa  by  those 
whose  names  they  bear,  indicate  some  of  the  kinds 
of  work  being  done  by  our  missionaries,  additional 
to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel : 

"the  MARY  sower's  HOME  FOR  GIRLS,  AT 
ROTUFUNK. 

"For  a  number  of  years  after  missionary  work 
was  undertaken  at  Rotufunk,  no  special  work  was 
carried  on  for  the  girls  of  the  country.  The  field 
was  large  and  the  laborers  were  few.  But  gradu- 
ally the  work  developed  and  there  came  a  time 
when  it  was  felt  that  something  must  be  done  for 
these  bits  of  humanity,  these  neglected,  ignorant, 
immortal  girls.  Prayers  and  plans  finally  culmi- 
nated in  a  commodious,  homelike  building,  known 
as  the  Mary  Sower's  Home  for  Girls.  Although 
conditions  and  surroundings  here  are  not  ideal, 
they  are  far  in  advance  of  anything  the  girls  have 
known. 

"When  a  child  enters  the  Home,  without  pre- 
vious contact  with  civilization  or  knowledge  of  the 
English  language,  communication  between  her  and 
the  matron  is  largely  restricted  to  signs. 

"She  has  never  been  taught  to  clothe  herself  and 
thinks  it  quite  unnecessary.  She  has  never  learned 
to  sew,  for  there  has  been  no  demand  for  such  an 
accomplishment.     ISTever  has  she  at  a  table  eaten 


/ 


100  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

her  simple  meal  of  rice,  having  been  quite  content 
to  sit  down  on  the  ground  and  eat  with  her  hand 
from  the  iron  pot  in  which  the  rice  has  been 
cooked.  Why  should  she  use  a  spoon  when  she  has 
washed  her  hands  ?  Probably  she  takes  the  same 
view  as  did  an  old  heathen  man  who,  looking 
askance  at  an  Englishman  eating  with  knife  and 
fork,  said  that  his  hands  must  be  very  dirty  since 
he  would  not  eat  with  them. 

''She  has  been  taught  to  believe  that  witches, 
ghosts,  evil  spirits,  devils,  and  many  more  won- 
derful things  have  power  to  harm  her.  The  super- 
stitions and  credulities  of  the  country  have  tinged 
and  warped  her  life.  In  the  country  dances  she 
early  learned  to  take  a  part,  and  the  country  songs, 
with  their  questionable  sentiments,  have  been  ab- 
sorbed into  her  child  life. 

"Recently,  two  children  about  five  years  of  age 
were  admitted  to  the  Home;  one,  Temni,  the 
other,  Mendi;  as  bright  and  promising  as  can  be 
obtained.  At  that  early  age  they  knew  dozens  of 
these  songs  and  numerous  dances,  and  were  al- 
ready familiar  with  evils  of  which  many  adult 
minds  at  home  are  ignorant.  When  they  were  told 
that  these  amusements  were  not  allowed,  they  evi- 
dently disapproved  of  our  taste.  But  what  won- 
der !    They  are  taught  nothing  better. 

"When,  in  the  providence  of  God,  a  girl  is 
brought  to  the  mission,  a  brighter  day  dawns  for 
her,  and  infinite  possibilities  are  placed  within  her 
grasp.  The  Home  has  been  open  now  about  ten 
years,  and  in  that  time  about  thirty  girls  have  been 
admitted  for  longer  or  shorter  terms.  When  a 
girl  is  given  to  us,  her  parents  or  guardians  sign 


SOME   WORK    BEING   DONE  101 

a  paper,  renouncing  all  claim  to  her,  including  the 
right  to  give  her  in  marriage.  On  our  side,  we 
agree  to  keep  her  until  she  is  of  age,  or  until  she 
marries,  provided  she  behaves  well.  It  has  been 
difficult  at  times  to  obtain  suitable  girls,  for  which 
several  reasons  may  be  given:  Prevailing  senti- 
ment teaches  that  female  education  is  unnecessary. 
We  do  not  desire  those  who  have  been  initiated 
into  the  secret  societies,  as  their  influence  would 
largely  counteract  our  best  efforts.  After  receiv- 
ing word  that  some  benevolent  person  at  home 
wishes  to  name  and  educate  a  girl,  considerable 
time  may  elapse  before  the  demand  can  be  sup- 
plied. Among  those  taken,  there  has  been  a  grad- 
ual sifting  process,  some  having  been  found  to  be 
incompetent  or  unworthy  of  the  great  gift  of 
Christian  training  within  their  reach. 

"Marked  advancement  is  seen  in  most  of  those 
who  have  remained  several  years.  They  are  taught 
such  things  as  will  be  of  practical  use  when  they 
go  out  to  make  homes  for  themselves,  as  sewing, 
washing,  ironing,  and  housework  of  various  sorts. 
There  is  a  market  value  for  this  kind  of  work  in 
the  colony,  so  they  will  be  able  to  make  their  own 
living  if  necessary.  But  one  thought  in  training 
them  is  that  they  may  become  the  wives  of  our 
native  workers,  and  together  establish  Christian 
homes.  Some  have  already  done  this,  and  the  con- 
trast between  these  homes  and  those  of  their  people 
is  appreciable. 

"Some  have  a  desire  to  tell  their  people  of  the 
new  hope  that  has  entered  their  lives  since  they 
came  into  contact  with  gospel  influences.  When 
they  go  to  their  homes  for  vacation,  the  Bible  ig 


102  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

taken  along  and  read  as  opportunities  arise.  Fre- 
quently on  Sunday  morning  they  go  out  two  by  two 
to  the  nearer  towns  and  hold  short  services,  which 
seem  to  be  acceptable.  It  has  been  encouraging  to 
see  the  older  girls,  one  by  one,  take  upon  them- 
selves the  vows  of  the  church. 

"A  special  providence  has  seemed  to  preside  over 
the  Home,  for  only  once  has  the  death  angel 
crossed  the  threshold.  Little  Laura  Meredith  quickly 
succumbed  to  an  acute  form  of  smallpox.  She 
was  a  good,  obedient  child,  and  although  she  had 
been  but  a  short  time  an  inmate  of  the  Home,  had 
doubtless  received  sufficient  light  to  guide  her 
through  the  pearly  gates  to  her  Father's  home. 

''The  one  in  charge  of  the  Home  has  a  very  great 
responsibility  resting  upon  her,  for  largely  to  her 
hands  is  given  the  molding  of  the  destiny  of  these 
untaught  children.  The  work  is  exacting,  and 
detrimental  to  the  nervous  system,  hence  the  term 
of  service  cannot  be  very  lengthy.  Five  Christian 
women  have  given  their  best  efforts  in  behalf  of 
this  cause.  There  have  been  discouragements  and 
seeming  failures,  but  there  have  also  been  encour- 
agements and  successes.  Eternity  alone  will  re- 
veal the  results  of  the  seed  sown." — Minnie  Eaton. 

"the  CLARK  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

"Missionaries  in  different  foreign  fields  have 
different  opinions  as  to  the  grade  of  schools  that 
ought  to  be  supported  with  mission  funds.  Though 
this  question  cannot  be  definitely  settled,  it  is 
generally  concluded  that  elementary  schools,  at 
least,  ought  to  be  maintained.  The  founders  of 
our  own  mission  realized  in  the  very  beginning 


THE    CLARK    TRAINING   SCHOOL  103 

that  schools  established  in  various  places  would 
give  a  permanency  to  their  efforts  that  could  be 
attained  in  no  other  way. 

"By  the  daily  contact  of  teacher  with  pupil  edu- 
cation has  proved  a  valuable  means  of  instilling 
the  truth  of  the  gospel  into  young  minds.  Satan, 
ever  alert,  and  not  so  stupid  as  to  neglect  his  in- 
fluence over  these  little  ones,  finds  in  every  mind 
good  soil  for  the  gro\vth  of  superstition  and  love 
for  wickedness.  While  he  is  thus  beguiling  the 
young  into  the  secret  societies  and  other  evil  prac- 
tices of  a  heathen  country,  let  the  children  of  light 
not  be  unmindful  of  their  opportunity  of  drawing 
these  boys  and  girls  away  from  their  native  super- 
stitions and  filling  their  minds  with  stories  more 
pure  than  those  rehearsed  in  the  mysterious  bush. 
It  is  not  difficult  in  any  neighborhood  to  gather  the 
children  into  school.  True  it  is  that  many  are 
sent  rather  that  they  may  learn  the  English  lan- 
guage than  that  they  may  be  taught  the  Word  of 
God,  because  the  advantage  of  understanding  the 
white  man's  tongue  is  apparent,  where  the  value 
of  the  way  of  life  is  unknown. 

"At  present  there  are  advanced  schools  in  Shain- 
gay  and  Bonthe,  while  primary  work  is  being  done 
among  the  children  of  Avery,  Dama,  Kooloong, 
Yorbofor,  and  Mandoh.  The  Clark  Training 
School,  erected  in  1877,  through  tlie  benevolence 
of  Africa's  true  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rufu^! 
Clark,  of  Denver,  Colo.,  was  at  first  intended  only 
as  a  theological  school  and  boys'  domitory.  How- 
ever, since  this  splendid  structure  was  so  very 
commodious,  it  was  soon  made  to  serve  a  broader 
purpose  without  in  the  least  interfering  with  the 


104  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

original  design.  Hence  all  the  grades  were  placed 
in  the  same  building  and  undej  the  same  manage- 
ment, and  now  six  of  the  rooms,  including  the 
library,  are  used  for  school  purposes.  The  library, 
of  about  650  volumes,  to  which  Mr.  Hulitt  gener- 
ously contributed  $300,  and  to  which  Bishop  Mills 
and  others  have  made  extensive  additions,  is  daily 
iised  by  the  students  and  missionaries. 

"The  course  of  study  in  the  Training  School,  as 
now  arranged,  consists,  besides  the  elementary 
branches,  of  English  and  general  history,  physical 
geography,  rhetoric,  physiology,  astronomy,  phys- 
ics, one  year  of  Latin,  and  a  part  of  the  Bible 
normal  course.  Furthermore,  a  regular  plan  of 
Bible  study  is  laid  out  for  all  grades.  The 
younger  pupils  memorize  certain  psalms  and  por- 
tions of  the  ISfew  Testament,  and  the  teaching  is 
thus  continued  until  these  children  in  Bible  knowl- 
edge easily  equal  the  boys  and  girls  of  their  own 
age  in  other  countries.  During  the  past  year  there 
were  enrolled  in  the  Clark  Training  School  158 
pupils.  Three  of  these,  one  young  woman  and  two 
young  men,  are  soon  to  graduate  and  will  be  em- 
ployed by  our  mission  as  teachers.  There  are  other 
promising  young  people  who  within  a  few  years, 
can  finish  their  courses  of  study.  Unfortunate  it 
is,  however,  that  the  ideas  of  the  parents  and  guard- 
ians of  these  children  have  not  been  sufficiently 
broadened  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  a  high  edu- 
cational standard.  Consequently,  in  many  cases, 
one  who  has  completed  the  third  or  fourth  reader 
is  considered  so  far  ahead  of  his  unlettered  com- 
panions that  he  is  taken  from  school  and  placed 
in  some  position  where  he  can  earn  a  little  money. 


THE    CLARK    TRAINING   SCHOOL  105 

Nevertheless,  it  is  but  just  to  state  that  some  of 
these  students  who  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
school  for  only  a  short  time  have  coupled  with 
their  meager  education  a  commendable  zeal,  and 
have  become  substantial  members  of  the  church. 

"In  the  last  ten  years,  eighteen  of  the  young  peo- 
ple of  the  Training  School  have  become  teachers 
and  itinerants  in  our  0"vvn  mission,  and  two  more 
are  employed  by  other  churches,  while  four  young 
men  are  in  the  employ  of  the  government,  and 
seven  are  in  mercantile  pursuits.  Of  this  number 
twelve  are  at  present  with  our  mission  and  doing 
creditable  work.  It  is  a  matter  of  keen  regret  that 
young  men  are  sometimes  induced  to  leave  the  mis- 
sion work  because  of  the  larger  salaries  offered  by 
merchants  or  the  government,  and  all  praise  is  due 
these  consecrated  students  who  decline  lucrative 
positions  for  the  sake  of  giving  their  own  people 
the  bread  of  life. 

"If  we  may  forecast  the  future  from  the  experi- 
ence of  the  past,  the  greater  number  will  not  lack 
that  consecration  What  will  be  the  direct  effect 
of  these  classes  annually  graduated  from  the 
Training  School,  trained  to  respect  God's  law  as 
revealed  in  his  Word,  in  their  own  bodies,  in  every 
plant  or  wind  or  wave  or  tide,  and  sent  out  openly 
to  live  a  lawful  life  among  people  who  know  no 
cause  but  the  caprice  of  witch  or  devil,  the  Master 
himself  knows  who  sent  his  disciples  forth  to  teach 
all  nations.  The  registers  of  His  school  are  care- 
fully kept.  Believing  that  in  the  summaries  at  the 
end  of  the  age,  the  Clark  Training  School  will  be 
found  to  share,  we  are  glad  to  labor  and  to  wait." — 
May  S.  Howard. 


106  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Miss  Florence  M.Cronise,  A.M.,  left  a  professor- 
ship of  modern  languages  in  Otterbein  University 
to  go  to  Rotufunk  as  principal  of  the  high  school 
While  doing  most  efficient  work  in  the  school-room, 
she  has  been  studying  the  language,  myths,  and 
traditions  of  the  natives.  The  following  is  from 
her  pen : 

"  LANGUAGES  AND  FOLK-LORE  OF  SIERRA  LEONE. 

''For  little  more  than  a  century  the  English  have 
laid  a  colonist's  claim  to  the  peninsula  of  Sierra 
Leone.  Immediately  upon  acquiring  possession 
they  transferred  to  it  1,100  descendants  of  free 
negroes,  who  before  the  American  war  of  177G  had 
been  landed  proprietors,  and  whose  fealty  to  Eng- 
land and  disloyalty  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  had 
made  them  penniless  wanderers.  With  these  set- 
tlers were  Foulahs  and  Mandingoes,  who  were 
j\Iohammedans  of  various  nations  increased  by 
members  of  a  few  African  tribes,  proselyted  from 
devil  worship  to  the  tenets  of  the  Koran.  Mingled 
with  all  these  were  European  fortune  hunters.  The 
great  mass  of  the  population  of  the  colony,  not 
classed  with  the  foregoing,  were  either  liberated 
slaves  or  their  descendants.  British  seamen  have 
rescued  from  the  pestilential  atmosphere  of 
French,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese  slave-ships, 
chained,  tortured  human  beings,  and  placed  them, 
free  citizens,  on  British  soil.  In  1811  the  popula- 
tion of  the  colony  numbered  45,000,  more  than 
half  of  whom  were  liberated  slaves.  Between  1819 
and  1833,  27,167  slaves  had  been  liberated  and 
and  landed  in  Sierra  Leone,  where,  in  1842,  about 
forty    African  tribes    were    represented.      These 


LANGUAGES    AND    FOLK-LORE  107 

when  landed  were  complete  savages,  each  tribe 
having  its  own  more  or  less  developed  language, 
which  amid  the  new  surroundings  had  suddenly  be- 
come an  insufficient  vehicle  of  thought.  The  pres- 
ent population  of  the  colony  is  computed  at  480,- 
000,  and  over  seventy  languages  are  said  to  be 
spoken  in  Freetown,  a  city  of  40,000  inhabitants. 
Each  native  tongue,  with  slight  commingling  of 
Spanish,  French,  and  Portuguese,  has  tinged  and 
corrupted  the  commonly  acquired  English,  making 
of  it  Pidgin-English,  that  is,  business  English, 
which  the  mother  tongue  would  scorn  to  own.  Some 
of  the  tribal  languages  die  out,  yet  to  a  considerable 
degree  in  Freetown,  and  almost  universally  in  the 
Hinterland,  native  languages  do  and  will  prevail. 
Naturally,  the  policy  of  the  ruling  government  is 
to  disseminate  the  English  language  with  English 
law  throughout  its  possessions ;  nevertheless,  mis- 
sionaries of  that  and  other  nations  advocate  a 
speaking,  teaching,  preaching  knowledge  of  the 
tribal  dialects  on  their  fields  of  labor.  This  is 
necessary  in  order  to  gain  direct  and  satisfactory 
communication  between  speaker  and  hearer.  Rarely 
can  an  interpreter  be  found  who  forms  a  capable 
and  conscientious  connecting  link.  Only  by  this 
language-getting  can  the  most  vital  imderstanding 
and  outgrowing  sympathy  exist ;  onlythus  can  those 
who  have  juvenile  minds  in  training  enter  well  into 
their  mode  of  thought  and  follow  their  process  of 
reasoning.  Missionary  annals  record  the  greatest 
soul-winning  among  those  who  through  earnest 
labor  have  made  a  strange  unwritten  tongue  their 
ovm,  reduced  it  to  writing,  and  used  it  in  translat- 
ing the  Scriptures.    Children  with  receptive  brain 


108  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONB 

and  ready  memory  can  probably  best  be  trained 
through  the  English  language,  with  its  wealth  of 
text-books,  but  their  parents  must  be  reached 
through  the  dialect  they  understand,  or  they  will 
not  be  reached  at  all.  A  lesser  argument  in  favor 
of  language  acquisition  is  the  mental  culture  it 
affords  the  missionary,  who  feels  justified  in  such 
study  when  he  would  begrudge  it  in  lines  further 
removed  from  his  loved  and  chosen  work.  Con- 
stant mental  outlay  demands  mental  refreshment, 
which  is  too  often  disregarded.  Unfortunately 
the  average  missionary  finds  himself  so  cumbered 
with  a  multiplicity  of  cares  that,  however  strong 
an  advocate  he  may  be  of  language  study,  he  must 
replace  the  quiet  hours  he  craves  with  immediately 
pressing  tasks,  and  his  curtailed  reading  is  chiefly 
in  the  Book  of  books. 

"About  the  year  1800  a  Scotch  missionary,  Mr. 
Bnmton,  acquired  the  Soosoo  language,  and  pre- 
pared a  grammar,  vocabulary,  spelling-book, 
catechism,  three  dialogues  on  Christianity,  and  an 
abridgement  of  Scripture  history  and  doctrine. 
This  was  the  first  attempt  ever  made  to  reduce  a 
language  of  western  Africa  to  writing.  In  1866 
Rev.  William  Schlenker  had  a  part  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament and  all  of  the  New  translated  into  Temni, 
and  ready  for  publication;  and  in  1871  the  four 
Gospels,  Acts,  and  Romans,  translated  into 
^fendi,  came  from  the  press.  There  is  also  a 
])rimer,  a  reader,  a  grammar,  and  a  dictionary  in 
Mendi,  and  the  same  in  Temni.  Into  the  latter 
Rev.  Mr.  Alley,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
translated  the  Pentateuch  and  some  other  writings. 
Sherbro  is  spoken  throughout  a  strip  of  coast  which 


LANGUAGES   AND   FOLK-LORK  109 

extends  southward  from  the  Bompeh  River,  and 
includes  Shaingaj  and  Sherbro  Island.  Being  un- 
written, its  acquisition  is  more  difficult  than  that 
of  the  Mendi,  which  is,  in  the  same  localities,  al- 
most universally  understood.  The  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  is  employing  native  languages  in 
its  interior  schools,  and  foreign  teachers  have  no 
work  assigned  them  on  first  reaching  the  field,  other 
than  learning  the  dialects  they  are  to  use.  These 
primitive  languages,  like  others,  abound  in  figures 
of  sj)eech  and  pithy  parables,  but  are  limited  in 
scope.  The  loftiest  sentiments  of  Scripture  are 
expressed  with  difficulty  and  circumlocution,  be 
cause  the  untaught  aborigine  has  no  conception  of 
them,  and  language  never  wells  from  springs 
higher  than  the  most  exalted  thought  of  those  it 
serves. 

"Africa  locks  her  history  in  the  breast  of  a 
sphinx,  the  stony  heart  of  a  pyramid,  or  beneath 
the  shifting  desert  sands,  and  the  silence  of  aeons 
of  time  holds  the  key.  What  bits  of  tradition  are 
extant  are  spun  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  the 
web  of  the  spider,  who  becomes  himself  the  hero 
of  tales  of  war  and  peace,  superstitious  worship, 
devils,  and  vaguest  notions  of  a  life  to  come.  To 
him  are  ascribed  all  cunning,  sleeplessness,  and 
well-nigh  immortality,  the  belief  being  current 
that  from  all  dangers  his  charmed  life  must  escape. 
Uncle  Remus' s  tales  find  here  their  ancestry,  'Bra 
Rabbit'  being  nearly  identical  with  'Conie'  Rabbit, 
and  a  companion  in  adventures  of  Mr.  Spider 
These  quaint  stories  are  so  like  those  of  India  and 
South  America  as  to  suggest  a  common  origin.  The 
following  are  bits  of  the  folk-lore  with  which  the 
African  continent  is  rife : 


110  MISSION   WORK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

'de  spider  an  de  people  what  dey  walker. 

'One  tern  na  one  country,  de  chief  bin  wan  make 
big  dinner,  so  he  sen  fo  all  dem  people  fo  cum,  an 
he  tell  de  people  say,  wen  den  dey  come,  make  den 
bring  plenty  cow.  Befo  den  dey  come  de  chief 
hesef  kill  plenty  cow  an  say:  "Who  go  bring  big 
pot.  I  go  gie  um  one  cow."  So  Spider  say  he  go 
bring  de  pot.  Wen  he  bring  um  de  chief  gie  urn 
one  cow,  an  he  kill  dis  cow  an  he  yeat  de  cow  allj 
but  he  no  yeat  de  head.  So  he  take  de  head,  he  go 
na  da  road  wliay  den  people  go  pas  wid  den  cow,  an 
he  dig  one  hole  na  middle  road,  an  he  put  dis  cow 
he  head  dey.  But  he  no  put  all,  so  dat  if  pusson 
draw  um  he  no  go  be  hard  fo  pull  um  dey.  He  tie 
rope  to  de  two  horn  an  he  dey  do  lek  say  he  dey 
draw.  So  when  he  dey  do  dis  he  see  den  people 
den  dey  come  yonder  wid  plenty  cow.  Wen  den 
reach  close  um  he  tell  den  say,  "Oona,  come  hep 
me;  make  we  pull  de  king  he  cow  fom  dis  hole." 
So  den  people  begin  f  o  go  take  de  rope  an  wen  den 
draw,de  cow  been  head  come  out  na  dehole.  Spider 
mek  lek  he  dun  vex  pon  um.  He  say:  "Yo  dun 
cut  de  chief  been  cow  head.  If  oona  no  gie  six 
cow  I  dey  go  tell  de  chief  an  oona  go  get  big 
plabber."  So  den  people  gie  um  six  cow,  an  he  go. 
He  dey  laugh  den  people.' 

"Devils  are  supposed  to  dwell  under  cotton-trees, 
in  thick  groves,  at  the  sources  of  rivers,  upon  moun- 
tains. They  are  reverenced  as  presiding  over  all 
things.  They  may  be  increased  and  propitiated. 
Porroh  devils  are  never  to  be  seen  except  by  some 
principal  men  in  the  society.  Bundoo  devils  dance 
openly,  publicly.  On  special  occasions  devils,  cor- 
responding somewhat  to  circus  clowns,  dance  for 


LANGUAGES    AND   FOLK-LORE  111 

the  amusement  of  the  people.       This    any  intel- 
ligent, nimble  native  is  permitted  to  do.    Devil  is 
not  used  in  the  sense  of  Satan.     There  is  not  one 
supreme  power  over  all  others,  but  some  idea  of 
rank  may  exist.     Devils  are,  to  some  extent,  be- 
lieved in  as  sort  of  heathen  guardian  angels.     Fire 
and  war  are  supposed  to  result    from    a  devil's 
wrath,  to  appease  which  sacrifices  are  offered.     In 
case  of  war  fighting  follows  the  sacrifices.     If  vic- 
torious, the  people  beg  pardon  for  the  offense  that 
brought  on  the  war;  if  they  are  conquered,  they 
beg  the  more.     In  case  of  war  at  Shaingay,  Tasso 
would  be  the  sacrificial  site.     There  used  to  be  a 
town,  Kobotuma,  near  Bagru,  that    had    such    a 
strong  devil  as  protector  that  when  war  came   he 
placed  a  heavy  bush  before  the  town,  and  thus  ren- 
dered it  invisible.     Mt.  Kuno,  by  Bishop  Mills 
christened  Mt.  Mary,  is  believed  to  be  inhabited  by 
all  the  dead  of  that  portion  of  the  country.     One 
person  only  can  go  there,  the  priest  of  the  mouii- 
tain,  who  worships  and  entreats  for  the  people. 
He  takes  with  him  white  rice,  a  white  fowl,  oil, 
and  a  white  country  cloth.     He  remains  a  day  or 
longer.     Alphonso  and  Mr.  Evans,  when  up  there, 
heard  of  the  priest  being  absent  a  month.     The 
town  on  the  mountain  is  invisible  to  the  natural 
eye.     There  the  dead  carry  on  this  life's  occupa- 
tions.    In  a  spring  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  all 
kinds  of  fine  fish  are  said  to  abound,  and  no  one 
dares  investigate.     When  people  in  the  valley  wail 
for  the  dead,  voices  from  Mt.  Kuno  call  out,  'Don  t 
cry  do^vn  there.     He 's  up  here.'  ^ 

"Spirits  are  supposed  to  live  the  same  as  m  this 
life.     Class  condition  does  not  change ;  master  re- 


112  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

mains  master;  slave  remains  slave.  This  implied 
belief  in  resurrection  is  not  universal.  A  class, 
presmnablj  a  small  class,  claims  that  this  life  ends 
all.  Spirits  of  the  dead  are  not  devils,  but  'die 
pussons.'  To  the  spirits  of  the  old  and  influential 
worship  is  directed.  Graves  are  dug  shallow  that 
the  spirits  of  the  interred  may  come  forth.  If  one 
desires  the  grave  deeper,  another  may  ask,  'What 
has  the  dead  done  to  you  that  you  do  not  wish  him 
to  return  V  Alphonso  told  of  some  people  who 
claimed  to  see  spirits  come  from  the  Cockboro 
River  for  his  father  at  his  death.  They  carried 
lanterns.  Part  of  the  number  turned  back,  and  as 
they  did  so  called  to  the  advancing  ones  to  bring 
them  some  scent  when  they  returned.  All  the  dead 
from  Shaingay  are  to  go  to  that  place  on  Cockboro 
River.  An  island  used  to  travel  back  and  forth 
from  Cockboro  River  to  Plantain,  perhaps  as  a 
sort  of  portable  bier.  A  few  days  ago  an  immense 
tree  became  uprooted  and  floated  slowly  past 
Shaingay.  Its  far-reaching  branches  above  the 
water  had  the  appearance  of  an  island.  We  saw  a 
boat  passing  at  some  distance  from  the  tree,  and 
were  told  that  its  occupants  lowered  the  sail  and 
passed  softly,  believing  a  devil  to  be  traveling  by. 
When  a  cotton-tree  is  cut  down  wine  is  poured  on 
the  roots  so  the  spirits  may  not  be  offended. 

This  subject  is  a  difficult  one  on  which  to  obtain 
accurate  information.  Probably  this  typewriter 
could  be  worn  to  its  last  letter  in  recording  a  small 
portion  of  the  uncanny  and  varying  superstitions 
of  this  deluded  race." 


CHAPTER  VII. 
''the  open  door. 

"Across  the  valley  which  lies  before  ray  window, 
mounds  of  fresh  earth  speak  of  the  presence  of 
newly-planted  batteries  that  stand  as  faithful 
watch-dogs  at  the  harbor  of  Sierra  Leone.  Just 
round  the  hill  the  foundation  for  a  powerful 
search-light  is  already  laid,  and  even  as  I  write, 
warships  are  passing  with  troops  and  supplies 
destined  for  a  disturbed  section  on  the  Niger, 
while  trained  diplomats,  representing  the  British 
and  French,  are  met  to-day  in  Paris  to  draw  still 
more  definitely  the  colonial  lines  on  the  face  of  this 
continent.  Why  is  all  this  outlay  of  money,  and 
what  means  this  array  of  troops  on  a  shore  only 
narrowly  fringed  with  civilization,  if  this  point 
be  not  regarded  as  singularly  strategic  ?  With  all 
the  wealth  of  the  British  Empire  there  is  no  money 
to  waste  on  useless  fortresses,  and  as  surely  as  this 
colony  holds  the  key  to  military  operations  on  this 
coast,  it  in  turn  offers  an  open  door  to  Christian 
missions. 

"Eollowing  the  western  shore  for  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  miles  north  to  the  Strait  of  Gibral- 
tar, a  Christian  missionary  will  find  no  hospitable 
land  where  the  preaching  of  a  simple,  searching 
truth  will  be  welcomed  or  tolerated  as  here  in 
Sierra  Leone.  To  the  north  and  east  are  the 
fanatical  lands  of  the  Pope  and  false  prophet. 
There  is  a  population  of  9,450,000  within  French 

8  113 


114.  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

territory,  with  only  two  Protestant  mission  sta- 
tions and  three  missionaries — one  missionary  to 
three  million.  While  the  whole  heathen  world  pre- 
sents a  dearth  of  workers,  this  excessively  needy 
field  can  hold  the  Pope-ridden  government,  by 
which  it  is  ruled,  largely  responsible  for  holding 
back,  by  vexing  conditions,  the  missionaries  who 
would  enter  this  Oriental  empire.  But  our  God  is 
stronger  than  the  nations,  and  so  in  this  ■  colony 
there  is  given  to  the  church  the  opportunity  of 
developing  a  missionary  center  from  which  this 
whole  great  country  may  be  reached.  If  we  were 
to  have  a  Pentecost  in  Freetown  to-day,  the  scene 
would  not  be  unlike  the  one  of  long  ago,  since  it  is 
estimated  that  seventy  different  languages  are 
spoken  here.  This  means  that  to  this  colony  and 
city  come  traders  and  travelers  from  remote  na- 
tions. While  Romanism  may  league  with  Moham- 
medanism and  block  the  way  for  foreign  mission- 
aries, no  human  power  can  so  control  human 
speech  as  to  stop  the  story  of  Jesus  on  the  French 
frontier,  when  these  wandering  pagans  have  here 
been  led  to  the  feet  of  our  Messiah.  This  oppor- 
tunity ought  to  be  a  reason  for  thanksgiving,  as 
well  as  the  occasion  for  a  determined  effort  to  make 
the  most  of  the  opportunity  which  God  has  so  un- 
mistakably thrust  within  our  hands,  to  teach  and 
train  the  thousands  of  workers  upon  whom  eventu- 
ally the  burden  of  evangelization  must  rest. 

"But  why  not  thrust  that  responsibility  immedi- 
ately upon  native  agencies,  some  may  inquire  ?  The 
answer  is  not  farther  away  than  a  good  map  of  this 
continent.  The  length  and  breadth  of  this  great 
country  is  not  well  understood.     By  following  the 


THE   OPEN    DOOR  115 

tenth  parallel,  north  latitude,  across  this  continent  1 
one  would  travel  4,430  miles,  a  distance  nearly  as  1 
great  as  from  New  York  to  Hawaii,  or  from  Flor- 
ida to  Behring  Strait.     In  this  long  journey  there 
is  not  one    Christian    missionary.      People    grow 
eloquent  and  importunate  over    the    demands    of 
home  missions,  and  granting  that  there  is  abun- 
dant work  to  do  at  home,  one  needs  to  lock  the 
doors  of  every   theological    seminary,  college,  and 
public  school,  and  to  seal  the  lips  of  every  minister 
or  Christian  teacher;    one  needs  to  banish  every 
trained  physician,  to  mine  every  wall  that  stands 
as   a   protection   to   the   insane,   the   blind,   deaf, 
dumb,  poor,  or  criminal  classes,  and  to  annul  every 
law  that  protects  the  Christian  Sabbath  or  per- 
sonal purity,  in  order  that  one  may  secure  a  condi- 
tion at  home  like  the  actual  condition  that  touches 
our  borders  this  moment.    No  trace  of  these  would 
one  find  in  that  weary  walk  across  this  continent. 
And  yet  in  the  great  Sudan  and  its  adjacent  pro- 
vinces there  are  one  hundred  million  people — one 
hundred  million  people  for  whom  Christ  died  and 
to  whom  they  all  are  precious.     Oh,  servants  of 
Christ,  the  load  is  too  great  to  put  on  any  native 
church,  devoted  though  it  may  be.   Pray  the  Father 
to  thrust  out  immediately  other  laborers  into  the 
white  wasting  harvest. 

"To  this  colony  our  church  has  unmistakably 
been  led.  Revivals  have  repeatedly  revealed  the 
stamp  of  God  upon  the  work,  and  we  find  a  large 
field  open  to  us  that  is  recognized  as  our  peculiar 
territory  by  other  Protestant  bodies.  Running 
eastward  from  Shaingay  is  a  line  of  cities  that  de- 
mand immediate  occupation.     The  one  farthest  in- 


116  MISSION   WORK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

terior  is  fourteen  days'  journey  from  the  coast. 
Distance,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  only  relative, 
and  these  cities  occupy  about  the  same  relation  to 
each  other  as  Liverpool,  New  York,  Omaha,  and 
San  Francisco.  Beyond  the  first  two,  practically 
nothing  has  been  attempted,  so  that  pioneers  are 
needed  there  to  organize  a  campaign  that  shall  in- 
clude many  hundreds  of  smaller  villages.  Passing 
to  the  northward  from  these  cities  are  five  others 
equally  important,  which  connect  advantageously 
Avith  those  stations  already  occupied  by  the  Wom- 
an's Missionary  Association.  No  more  solemn 
obligation  ever  rested  on  any  people  than  rests  on 
us,  as  we  now  confront  this  field  which  waits  for  our 
sowing.  Prayers  have  gone  up  to  our  Father  to 
open  the  doors,  and  the  doors  are  wide  open.  Bet- 
ter the  prayer  had  never  been  offered  than  to  re- 
fuse to  enter  now.  An  increased  number  of  for- 
eigners would  afford  an  opportunity  for  the  em- 
ployment of  ten  times  the  present  force  of  native 
agents.  The  native  men  who  must  bear  a  great 
deal  of  this  burden  are  necessarily  placed  into 
active  service  long  before  they  should  be  asked  or 
expected  to  bear  such  responsibilities.  The  young 
men  themselves  need  to  be  taught  during  their  first 
years  of  service,  and  where  distances  are  so  great 
it  is  practically  impossible  to  keep  them  in  close 
connection  with  the  schools  already  established. 
What  the  Master  did  for  the  twelve,  others  should 
do  in  each  of  these  central  cities.  Paul  must 
gather  round  him  his  Luke,  Marcus,  and  Timothy. 
That  being  accomplished,  the  apostle  will  move  on 
to  regions  more  remote  till  all  the  land  is  gone  over. 
All  this  the  church  intends  exactly  to  fulfill,  but  it 


THE    OPEN    DOOR  117 

takes  so  long,  and  will  take  long,  until  the  Great 
Commission  is  read  with  grammatical  care — till 
the  personal  'Go  ye'  is  no  longer  broadened  into 
'Go  church/  The  responsibility  is  individual  and 
direct, 

"A  peculiar  condition  exists  here  from  the  fact 
that  on  the  bosom  of  this  continent  the  descendants 
of  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth  contend  for  empire, 
and  make  more  complicated  a  task  that  is  never 
easy.  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  Who 
should  apply  ?  Certainly  not  those  who  shrink 
from  the  stern  duties  at  home  and  would  seek  a  less 
exacting  sphere;  on  the  contrary,  those  demanded 
at  home,  as  some  may  think  because  of  special 
gifts,  are  the  very  men  whom  Africa  calls  to  her 
rescue.  If  Ethiopia  is  saved,  it  will  be  by  the 
best  gifts  that  Christian  nations  can  bestow  upon 
her — the  choice  sons  and  daughters  of  their  own 
lands. 

"To  those,  I  would  appeal,  who  are  debating  the 
choice  of  a  life  service.  Not  that  I  would  be  care- 
less of  your  ambitions,  or  by  one  word  would  in- 
duce you  to  enlist  in  a  warfare  unworthy  your  best 
efforts,  but  rather  with  a  full  appreciation  of  what 
your  consecrated  energies  are  worth,  with  an  ever- 
widening  sympathy  for  these  millions,  and  with  an 
ever-broadening  conception  of  the  fruits  of  mis- 
sionary endeavor,  and  an  ever-deepening  joy  in  the 
service  itself,  I  would  have  you  give  your  life  here. 
When  your  numbers  are  thought  of,  I  could  wish 
the  return  of  Peter  the  Hermit  that  he  might  stir 
to  the  depths  our  dull  spirits  till  again  the  crusades 
should  be  gathered,  not,  indeed,  to  carry  votive 
offerings    to    the    sepulcher     of     a    dead    Christ 


118  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

but  to  carry  knowledge  of  that  Christ  resur- 
rected to  the  sepulchers  of  those  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  in  sin.  Nothing  less  than  the  preach- 
ing of  a  new  crusade  can  settle  the  present  prob- 
lems of  the  foreign  field — a  crusade  that  shall  en- 
list not  a  mission  board,  but  the  church;  a  cru- 
sade that  shall  draw  from  every  Christian  nation 
the  choice  workmen,  with  the  funds  necessary  for 
their  maintenance  in  the  dark  places  of  the  earth ; 
a  crusade  that  floods  the  church  with  knowledge 
of  actual  heathenism,  of  deeds  darker  than  the  Sar- 
acens ever  practiced  at  the  Holy  Sepulcher;  a 
crusade  of  truth  that  shall  declare  with  ceaseless 
energy  that  those  who  are  without  God  are  without 
hope  in  the  world. 

''The  spirit  of  heroism  is  not  dead  in  the  breasts 
of  the  strong  men  and  women  of  the  church,  neither 
is  the  spirit  of  philanthropy  unknown  to  those 
whom  God  has  chosen  as  stewards  of  large  for- 
tunes. Whose  is  the  far-reaching  voice  that  shall 
speak  with  such  decision  that  the  church  will  be- 
lieve that  this  is  the  year  for  an  immediate  ad- 
vance, the  year  to  pay  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars into  the  Lord's  treasury  for  missions,  the  year 
to  occupy  ten  great  heathen  centers  in  this  im- 
portant colony.  Within  a  year  a  country  has  been 
opened  on  the  Niger,  one  thousand  miles  in  length 
by  six  hundred  in  breadth,  equal  to  fourteen  states 
like  Ohio.  There  lies  before  me  as  I  write  a  chal- 
lenge from  Bishop  Tugwell,  of  the  C.  M.  S.,  to  the 
whole  Christian  world  to  occupy  and  make  Jesus 
king  over  this  newly-created  empire.  Shall  this 
challenge  be  cravenly  disregarded  ?  Will  the  light 
of  this  century  go  out  with  that  magnificent  colony 


THE   OPEN    DOOR 


119 


eagerly  occupied  by  men  engaged  in  the  extension 
of  trade  while  Christian  men  are  too  spiritless  to 
hasten  the  extension  of  truth?  It  is  not  a  man 
shapen  in  dreams  that  stands  and  utters  in  the 
night  the  cry  for  help,  but  the  ringing  cry  of  a  man 
of  flesh  and  blood  in  broad  day.  May  our  God  com- 
mand the  forces  that  shall  move  obediently  upon  the 
great  Sudan  through  this  new  broad  highway. 

"You  men  of  the  church  who  hold  positions  of 
influence  as  superintendents,  trustees,  class-leaders 
are   responsible   for  your   church,   your   Sabbath 
school,  your   Christian   Endeavor   Society.^    The 
thrifty  church  of  the  future  without  its  missionary 
will  be  as  anomalous  as  a  church  now  without    a 
Sabbath  school  or  young  people's  society.     What 
are  you  going  to  do  for  this  hundred  million  of  peo- 
ple, the  brethren  of  the  Lord  and  dear  to  him  as 
your  brother,  your  son,  or  your  wife  ?     This  hun- 
dred million  that  live  to  the  east  and  north  of  us 
would  people  the  important  State  of  Indiana  fifty 
times,  or  the  State  of  Nebraska  one  hundred  times. 
Surely  there  is  a  duty  here  for  business  men.    When 
the  week  closes  and  books  are  balanced,  will   you 
.take  a  map  of  xYfrica,  with    statistics    appended, 
and  make  it  balance  with  the  ^N'ew  Testament  ?    By 
your  study  your  heart  will  be  enlisted  to  give  or 
to  go,  as  the  Master  directs.     The  joy  of  obedience 
will  be  your  rich  reward.     Upon  your  head,  at  no 
distant  day,  will  loving  hands  be  laid  as  our  re- 
turning Lord  stands  glorified  on  Mt.  Olivet,  and 
says  to  you  who  have  shared  devotedly  in  the  res- 
cue of  these  lost,  loved  races :     'Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
vou  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.'     Even  so 
come  quickly,  Lord  Jesus:'— Alfred  T.  Howard._^ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  MASSACEE. 

The  preceding  part  of  this  work  was  planned 
before  the  recent  burning  of  our  mission  property 
and  the  massacre  of  our  devoted  band  of  missionaries 
at  Rotufunk  and  Taiama.  The  wilderness  that  had 
been  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert  that  had  begun 
to  blossom  as  the  rose,  during  the  latter  part  of 
April  and  the  early  part  of  May  (1898),  were  vis- 
ited by  a  heathen,  infuriated  mob,  and  seven  Amer- 
ican missionaries,  several  native  missionaries,  and 
several  hundred  converts  were  cruelly  murdered, 
and  over  fifty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  property 
was  destroyed. 

Just  before  the  holidays  a  new  force  of  laborers 
had  reached  the  field,  consisting  of  Rev.  I.  N. 
Cain  and  wife,  Marietta  Hatfield,  M.D.,  Ella 
Schenck,  and  Arthur  Ward,  for  Rotufunk,  and 
Rev.  L.  O.  Burtner  and  wife,  for  Shaingay. 

The  annual  conference  was  held  at  Shaingay 
during  the  holidays.  The  new  parties  had  settled 
down  to  the  work ;  of  the  former  force.  Rev.  J.  R. 
King  and  wife  had  just  returned  home,  followed 
by  Prof.  A.  T.  Howard  and  wife,  and  the  Misses 
Cronise  and  Eaton  (all  needing  rest  and  change  of 
climate),  when  this  appalling  calamity  swept  over 
the  mission  like  a  hurricane. 

There  had  been  heard  mutterings  of  discontent 
against  the  reforms  and  civilizing  efforts  of  the 
British,  but  it  was  hoped  no  harm  would  come  of 

120 


THE    MASSACRE  121 

it,  or  that,  at  least,  no  one  could  be  found  who 
would  harm  these  missionaries.  But  when  the 
mob  arose,  excited  to  frenzy  by  their  native 
orators,  they  sought  to  destroy  every  white  person 
and  every  friend  of  the  white  man,  so  far  as  possi- 
ble. It  was  the  last  struggle  in  Sierra  Leone  of 
Mohammedan  blind  zeal  and  heathen  rage  to  stay 
the  progress  of  Christian  civilization. 

At  the  advice  of  the  British  governor,  the  other 
American  missionaries.  Rev.  L.  O.  Burtner  and 
wife.  Rev.  F.  S.  Minshall  and  wife  and  babe,  and 
Mr.  Arthur  Ward,  wisely  returned  home  to  await 
the  overthrow  of  the  mob  by  British  arms  and  the 
return  of  peace. 

The  following,  from  Rev.  L.  O.  Burtner,  i3  a 
very  full  account : 

"SIEERA   LEONE   WAES. 

"When  homeward  bound,  in  Liverpool  and  l^ew 
York,  our  party  was  interviewed  by  various  news- 
paper reporters.  It  is  due  to  the  party,  the  church, 
and  the  friends  of  the  massacred  to  say  that  the 
newspapers  too  often  report  more  than  they  have  to 
report.  Too  much  liberty  is  given  to  the  imagina- 
tion and  too  little  attention  to  accuracy. 

"Causes  of  the  Uprising. — In  my  judgment  no 
one  thing  can  be  assigned  as  the  cause  of  the  out- 
break. About  six  or  eight  years  ago  the  govern- 
ment began  more  fully  to  express  its  interest  in  the 
colony  by  undertaking  to  suppress  the  slave-trade 
carried  on  by  and  among  the  natives,  the  chiefs 
and  big  men  among  them  profiting  most  by  the 
traffic. 

"Later  an  attempt  was  made  to  abolish  cannibal- 
ism.   A  half  dozen  or  more  persons  were  tried,  con- 


122  MISSION    WOKK    IN    SIKKRA    LEONE 

victed,  and  hanged.  Later  still,  two  or  three  years 
ago,  restrictions  were  put  upon  the  Porroh,  a  secret 
society  of  the  natives.  All  males  are  members,  and 
occasionally  one  or  more  belong  who  do  not  -wish  to 
be  regarded  as  or  numbered  among  the  heathen — 
persons  who  have  been  more  or  less  taught  in  let- 
ters. 

''The  Porroh,  as  the  natives  regard  it,  is  the  law 
of  the  country,  and  when  they  would  put  Porroh  (as 
they  say)  on  any  thing  or  person,  no  one  dare  inter- 
fere ;  if  so,  it  is  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  Porroh  had 
been  put  on  the  palm  kernels,  and  no  one  was  al- 
lowed to  gather  them  until  the  society  saw  fit  to 
'pull  the  Porroh.'  Thus  crop  after  crop  would  go 
to  waste,  and  many  poor  people  suffer  in  conse- 
quence of  this  waste.  The  government  said  this 
restriction  of  the  Porroh  must  cease. 

"About  two  years  ago  a  protectorate  was  estab- 
lished, not  including  the  original  settlement  of 
Sierra  Leone  and  the  Sherbro  Island.  The  pro- 
tectorate was  divided  into  five  districts,  and  a  dis- 
trict commissioner,  a  white  man,  appointed  to 
each.  To  these  commissioners  all  matters  of  dis- 
pute and  law  were  referred  for  final  adjustment.  A 
small  hut  tax  was  required  by  the  government  for 
its  support  and  the  maintenance  of  the  protectorate 
and  further  development  of  the  country — the  mak- 
ing of  roads,  bridges,  railroads,  etc.  The  amount 
of  the  tax  was  five  shillings,  or  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents,  for  a  house  of  three  rooms  and 
under,  and  ten  shillings,  or  two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents,  for  a  house  of  four  or  more  rooms.  The 
chiefs  were  to  collect  this  tax  and  pay  to  the  dis- 
trict commissioners,  and  they  turn  it  over  to  the 
gpvernment. 


THE    MASSACRE 


123 


"The  people  refused  to  pay.  The  Porroh  had  its 
meetings,  killed  its  goats,  and  swore  its  'one  word' 
— that  is,  the  first  chief  who  collected  and  paid  the 
hut  tax  would  lose  his  head.  The  government  said 
any  one  who  refused  to  pay  would  be  arrested  and 
imprisoned,  and  some  one,  who  would  pay,  would 
be  appointed  to  take  his  place.  The  Temni  tribe, 
located  in  the  northern  district,  revolted,  and  made 
war  on  the  government.  They  prepared  strong  and 
somewhat  effective  fortifications,  and  made  a  vigor- 
ous fight,  so  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  govern- 
ment to  utilize  all  the  troops  immediately  at  hand 
in  repulsing  them.  The  other  tribes,  taking  advan- 
tage of  this  engagement  of  the  government  with  the 
Temnis,  united  their  forces  (a  thing  unknown  in 
the  history  of  the  colony — hitherto  they  made  war 
on  each  other),  and  made  their  raid  against  all  for- 
eigners, and  Sierra  Leoneans,  black  people,  native 
born,  and  educated — in  short,  against  all  persons 
in  sympathy  with  the  civilization  and  Christianity 
which  the  government  and  church  sought  to  estab- 
lish and  extend.  Black  Englishmen,  as  they  some- 
times call  themselves  in  distinction  from  the 
heathen  natives,  shared  the  same  fate  as  Europeans 
and  Americans.  Thus  it  was  a  war  of  heathenism 
against  civilization  and  Christianity,  a  war  of  ex- 
termination of  all  who  did  not  properly  pronounce 
the  'shibboleth'  of  heathenism.  And  the  causes 
leading  up  to  it  are  (1)  suppression  of  slavery,  (2) 
suppression  of  cannibalism,  (3)  restrictions  on  the 
Porroh,  (4)  requiring  the  hut  tax,  the  latter  being 
the  occasion  for  the  outbreak. 

"Plan  of  Attach.— Much  skill  and  forethought 
seems  to  have  been  exercised  in  the  plan  of  attack. 


124  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

The  uprising  was  almost  simultaneous.  Within 
two  or  three  days  the  destruction  of  life  and  prop- 
erty respecting  our  missions  and  misssionaries  was 
over,  except  in  the  case  of  Brother  and  Sister 
McGrew,  which  was  five  days  later,  May  8.  It  was 
rumored  that  the  Mohammedans  were  in  sympathy 
with  the  insurgents  and  assisted  in  formulating 
plans.     I  know  not  how  true  this  is. 

"Implements  of  War. — The  'war-boys'  had 
clubs,  swords,  cutlasses  (implements  resembling 
our  old-fashioned  corn-choppers),  and  some  guns 
and  ammunition.  During  the  past  six  or  eight 
years  the  sale  of  firearms  and  ammunition  to  the 
natives  had  been  prohibited  by  the  government.  It 
was  supposed  that  they  were  without  either.  How 
and  where  they  secured  these  is  an  unsettled  ques- 
tion in  the  mind  of  the  public. 

"Situation  at  Shaingay. — I  pass  over  many  de- 
tails. The  first  news  of  the  war  which  made  us  quit 
our  work  and  prepare  for  their  coming  was  a  letter 
from  one  G.  M.  Domingo,  of  Bompetook,  whieli 
town  is  three  hours'  walk  south  of  Shaingay,  and 
also  on  the  coast,  to  our  chief,  Thomas  Neal 
Caulker.  The  chief  promptly  sent  the  letter  to  me 
at  nine  o'clock  Saturday  morning,  April  30.  Thr; 
letter  stated  that  the  war-boys  had  taken  Danville 
Mission,  and  that  D.  F.  Wilberforce  and  wife  were 
caught  and  tied,  his  mother  shot,  and  sister  and 
children  killed,  and  the  warriors  were  coming  on 
Shaingay  Mission.  [It  has  since  been  learned  that 
Mr.  Wilberforce  and  family  escaped,  and  are 
safe.]  Brother  Minshall  and  I  began  at  once  to 
fortify  our  mission  house,  and  remained  in  it  until 
Sunday  night,  May  1,  about  seven  o'clock.     We 


THE   MASSACRE  126 

had  determined  not  to  leave  the  place,  although 
we  had  only  one  revolver  and  seventy  cartridges, 
and  one  old  shotgun  and  a  half-dozen  loads  of 
powder.  The  people,  about  five  hundred,  except 
forty-five,  principally  women  and  children  yet 
with  us,  had  been  transferred  to  Plantain  Island, 
six  miles  off  the  coast  of  Shaingay,  during  Satur- 
day and  Sunday.  Among  these  were  our  mission 
boys  and  church  members.  Only  three  men  were 
with  us — Rev.  J.  A.  Evans,  A.  T.  Caulker,  and  C. 
A.  Columbus. 

''More  carefully  considering  our  environment, 
all  the  circumstances  leading  up  to  the  situation,  in 
a  moment  of  awful  suspense  there  came  the  convic- 
tion as  if  by  inspiration  from  on  high,  Anchor  out- 
side I  which  meant  to  me  secure  refuge  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night  on  the  bosom  of  the  sea.  We 
started  for  Plantain  Island.  A  few  minutes  row- 
ing around  the  point  brought  us  in  full  view  of  the 
burning  of  our  mission  properties  at  Mano, 
Kooloong,  and  Otterbein  stations,  just  south  of  us. 
The  warriors  were  then  near  Shaingay.  But  a  lit- 
tle longer  and  we,  too,  should  have  fallen  by  their 
cruel  hands.  At  midnight.  May  1,  we  left  Plant- 
ain Island,  arrived  at  Kent  at  eight  o'clock  the 
evening  of  May  2,  left  there  Tuesday  morning  at 
two  o'clock,  May  3,  and  arrived  at  Freetown 
Wednesday  morning  at  six  o'clock. 

"On  Monday,  May  2,  our  people  crossed  Youra 
Bay  from  Plantain  Island  to  Kent  and  other  points 
nearer  Freetovni.  The  latest  word  I  have  from 
them  is  May  9,  which  is,  'We  are  all  safe  so  far.* 
At  Shaingay  we  had  a  large  two-and-a-half-story 
mission  house,  stone  structure    and    slate  roof,  a 


126  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

splendid  stone  church  with  slate  roof,  an  excellent 
school  building  two-and-a-half-stories  high,  also  of 
stone  and  an  iron  roof,  a  large  two-story,  seven- 
room  house,  lower  story  of  stone,  upper  of  frame 
structure  and  iron  roof  (this  building  was  to  be 
used  for  a  dispensary  and  hospital),  a  large  boys' 
home,  a  girls'  home,  two  kitchens,  two  fowl  houses, 
four  out-buildings,  one  blacksmith  shop,  one  boat- 
house  large  enough  to  house  four  boats  (all  these 
were  frame  buildings  on  stone  foundations,  and 
iron  roofs),  a  nine-room  native  house  with  iron 
roof  and  veranda  all  around  (this  house  was  used 
as  a  parsonage),  and  two  other  excellent  native 
buildings — sixteen  buildings  all  in  good  state  of 
preservation — now  all  destroyed. 

"Bontlie  Station. — Here  our  excellent  nine- 
room  mission  house,  rice-house,  and  large  school- 
building,  which  we  use  for  church  purposes  at  pres- 
ent, are  uninjured. 

*' Avery  Station. — A  large  seven-room  mission 
house,  stone  walls  and  iron  roof,  a  splendid  church 
and  school-room,  frame  structure  and  iron  roof, 
and  an  excellent  sawmill,  all  said  to  be  burned. 

''Brother  J.  E.  Hughes,  one  of  our  itinerants, 
and  his  wife  and  daughter  were  reported  slain.  C. 
A.  Remmie,  the  other  itinerant,  being  very  sick, 
went  to  Bonthe  the  week  before  for  treatment.  His 
sister,  Sarah  Curtis,  of  Shaingay,  was  with  him,  so 
they  escaped;  no  tidings  from  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren with  her  at  Avery  were  received. 

"Other  Stations. — Konkonany,  Mattro,  Jeho- 
vah, Mandoh,Otterbein,  Kooloong,  and  Mano  were 
reported  burned. 

"Situation     at     Rotufunh. — Of    this    I    speak 


THE   MASSACRE  127 

with  bated  breath.  Of  the  six  missionaries  there, 
five  were  killed — Rev.  I.  N.  Cain  and  wife,  Dr. 
Mary  Archer,  Dr.  Marietta  Hatfield,  and  Miss 
Ella  Schenck.  Doctor  Hatfield  was  very  ill.  Mr. 
A.  A.  Ward  had  gone  to  Freetown  on  business  a 
few  days  before,  and  thus  escaped. 

"Sunday  and  Monday  nights.  May  1  and  2,  the 
five  left  the  mission  premises  and  slept  in  the  bush, 
returning  eachmorning  to  the  mission house.^  Tues- 
day morning,  about  nine  o'clock,  the  warriors  en- 
tered the  to^Yn.  The  missionaries  again  fled  to  thd 
bush,  but  were  soon  stopped  by  the  warriors,  who 
had  surrounded  the  town  and  anticipated  the  direc- 
tion in  which  the  missionaries  would  flee.  They 
had  gone  about  two  hundred  yards  when  brought 
back  in  front  of  the  mission  and  killed.  About  ten 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  3  these  missionaries 
finished  the  work  our  Lord  gave  them  to  do.  Rev. 
L.  A.McGrew  and  wife,  of  Taimai,also  were  slain, 

on  May  8. 

"'Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people 
imagine  a  vain  thing  ?  The  kings  of  the  earth  set 
themselves,  and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together, 
against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  anointed,  say- 
ing. Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast 
away  their  cords  from  us.'  'And  this  is  life  eter- 
nal, that  they  might  kno^v  thee  the  only  true  God, 
and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent.' 

"There  is  a  total  loss  of  property  here  by  fire. 
All  the  houses  were  frame*  buildings,  with  iron 
roofing,  except  the  boys'  home.  Mission  house, 
school-building,  church,  girls'  home,  boys'  home, 
dispensary,  industrial  building,  rice-house,  and 
boat-house,  all  said  to  be  totally  destroyed. 


128  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

''What  of  the  Future.— Do  we  love  God?  All 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.  Thrice  Christ  required  Peter  to  answer  thi? 
question.  Let  each  member  of  the  church  answer 
it  for  himself. 

"Good  to  them  that  love  God!  All  who  truly 
love  will  enlarge  their  contributions  and  consecra- 
tion. God  can  and  will  make  the  wrath  of  men  to 
praise  him.  Christ  tested  the  rich  young  ruler  by 
commands  and  promises.  He  went  away  from 
Christ  and  treasures  in  heaven.  God  is  testing  the 
faith  and  obedience  of  the  church  to-day.  Let  us 
stand  the  test,  and  in  this  the  beginning  of  the  sec- 
ond year  of  our  missionary  quadrennium  and  in 
this  time  of  deepest  sorrow,  show  our  faith  by  our 
works.  Give  not  only  tithes,  but  large  free-will 
offerings.  Mother  England  will  do  her  part,  and 
God  is  the  giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  and 
never  fails  his  children." 

Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  of  the  import  of  this  great 
sacrifice,  says: 

"In  some  respects  the  most  overwhelming  of  all 
missionary  reverses  occurred  in  connection  witl; 
the  Indian  mutiny  of  1857,  when  Mohammedan- 
ism and  Brahmanism,  supported  by  the  darkest 
passions  and  superstitions  of  the  native  people, 
sought  to  overthrow  British  rule  in  India,  and  to 
extirpate  everything  foreign,  Christianity,  of 
course,  included.  In  large  cities  and  populous 
provinces  fire,  rapine,  lust,  and  murder  well  nigli 
accomplished  their  satanic  purposes.  Thousands 
of  foreigners  were  slain  ;  thousands  were  subjected 
to  revolting  cruelties.  The  British  army, under  the 
Christian  soldier,  General  Haveloek,  and  other  in- 


THE    MASSACRE  129 

trepid  leaders,  never  fought  against  greater  oddn 
or  administered  a  more  crushing  defeat.  In  the 
disturbed  districts  missions  were  everywhere  de- 
stroyed, a  number  of  missionaries  being  slain.  The 
most  noted  example  of  martyrdom  was  that  of 
eight  missionaries  of  the  American  Presbyterian 
Church,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freeman,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMullin,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  with  their  two  children,  who  with 
many  others  sought  refuge  in  boats  on  the  Gauge.';, 
and  were  afterward  captured  and  taken  to  the 
parade  grounds  of  Cawnpore  and  ruthlessly  shot. 
The  noble  character  and  bearing  of  the  mission- 
aries gave  luster  to  the  Christian  name.  As  a  re- 
sult of  the  great  crisis  conditions  favorable  to  the 
evangelizing  of  India  were  permanently  estab- 
lished, a  greater  missionary  interest  excited,  and 
the  pace  of  mission  work  quickened.  To-day  we 
are  beginning  to  hear  of  a  national  church  of  India. 
The  possibility  of  speedy  changes  in  favor  of 
human  weal  after  threatened  overthrow  is  em- 
phasized by  the  fact  that  the  year  following  the 
mutiny,  the  year  1858,  was  more  widely  signalized 
by  the  opening  up  of  new  fields  for  the  gospel  than 
any  previous  year  in  Christian  history. 

"Madagascar  has  been  spoken  of  as  a  field  spe- 
cially consecrated  by  the  blood  of  martyrs,  but  the 
martyrs  have  been  from  the  ranks  of  native  Chris- 
tians. In  no  other  country  have  native  Christians 
been  more  courageous  in  the  face  of  danger  or 
more  faithful  when  missionaries  have  withdrawn 
or  been  expelled. 

"The  fall  of  our  missionaries  will  not  be  to  us  in 
vain  if  it  lays  in  the  dust  the  maxims  of  selfishness, 

9 


130  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA    LKONB 

and  enthrones  a  higher  manhood  in  human  hearts. 
We  may  adopt  the  language  of  Bishop  Fowler  with 
reference  to  the  noble  contagion  that  comes  from 
the  labors  and  sacrifices  of  missionaries.  He  says : 
'It  is  worth  more  than  all  it  costs  to  have  the  home 
church  feel  a  kinship  to  these  heroic  souls.  When 
a  country  cannot  produce  among  her  own  sons  men 
willing  to  die  for  their  liberties,  but  must  do  her 
fighting  by  mercenaries,  then  that  country  has  lost 
her  liberties,  and  has  nothing  left  worth  dying  for. 
When  a  church  reaches  a  state  where  she  cannot 
furnish  missionaries  and  keep  in  sympathy  with 
her  missionaries  she  has  reached  a  point  where  she 
has  nothing  worth  propagating.  It  is  the  spirit  of 
heroism  and  sacrifice  that  insures  spiritual 
triumph.  .  .  .  No  church  can  long  remain  a 
conquering  force  which  has  not  the  missionary 
spirit,  and  does  not  understand  the  word  of  Jesus, 
"As  the  Father  hath  sent  mc,  even  so  send  I  you." 
There  run  through  the  ages  great  lines  of  spiritual 
power  that  lift  and  mold  mankind.  .  .  .  These 
lines  can  be  seized  only  by  the  writhing  hands  of 
sacrifice.  .  .  .  It  is  not  all  loss  to  sacrifice  for 
God ;  often  all  else  is  loss.'  Should  the  world  be 
wholly  evangelized  and  no  place  left  for  literal 
martyrdom,  it  would  yet  require  pierced  hands  to 
lift  it  to  higher  planes  of  character  and  action.  For 
the  individual  soul,  here  and  hereafter,  redemp- 
tion means  not  merely  the  price  paid  by  Christ, 
but  also  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  enthroned  in  human 
hearts." 

I  have  elsewhere  said  and  now  repeat  that  the 
law  of  sacrifice  is  the  first  law  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.     The  life  of  the  Master  illustrated  this  fact, 


THE    MASSACRE  131 

for  even  "the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  minis- 
tered unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a 
ransom  for  many."  From  the  beginning  obedience 
to  this  law  has  been  the  condition  of  human  prog- 
ress. The  mother  gives  her  life  for  her  child,  the 
patriot  dies  for  his  coimtrj,  and  the  missionary 
dies  for  his  King. 

When  Brother  Cain  refused  to  fire  on  the  black 
mob  ready  to  slay  the  little  party  of  whites,  I  have 
no^  doubt  he  consulted  his  noble  comrades,  and  they 
said,  "Let  us  lav  do"vvn  our  lives  for  Africa,  even  as 
our  Saviour  did  for  us."  And  they  were  at  once 
enrolled  in  the  great  army  of  martyrs,  who  counted 
not  their  own  lives  dear  unto  themselves.  The  re- 
demption of  Africa  goes  forward  by  such  service. 
The  graves  of  Christian  missionaries  and  explor- 
ers are  the  stepping-stones  across  the  Dark  Conti- 
nent. It  has  pleased  God  to  give  our  church  the 
honor  of  furnishing  a  glorious  band,  who  by  thi:s 
high  offering  of  sacrificial  service  has  done  so 
much  to  redeem  Africa. 

Other  churches  and  other  fathers  and  mothers 
have  made  similar  offerings  of  their  most  precious 
sons  and  daughters.  They  are  an  offering  unto  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  and  are  enrolled  in  his  book.  The 
missionary,  Krapf,  dying  in  the  Galla  country, 
bequeathed  "to  every  missionary  coming  to  east 
Africa"  the  "idea  of  a  chain  of  missions"  across 
the  entire  Dark  Continent.  He  said,  "The  first 
resident  of  the  new  mission  ground  is  a  dead  per- 
son of  the  missionary  circle ;  our  God  bids  us  first 
build  a  cemetery  before  we  build  a  church  or  dwell- 
ing-house, showing  us  by  this  lesson  that  the  resur- 
rection of  east  Africa  must  be  affected  by  our  own 
destruction." 


132  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

As  the  sacrifices  which  the  earth  has  cost  make 
it  more  deeply  interesting  and  precious  to  heaven, 
so  these  sacrifices  for  Africa  will  make  it  dearer 
and  nearer  to  the  hearts  of  all  our  people.  Such 
royal  investments  in  that  land  will  call  forth  still 
more;  for  as  Missionary  Cox  said,  "Though  a 
thousand  fall  let  not  Africa  be  given  up." 

While  we  to-day  sorrow  with  the  bereaved 
homes,  through  our  tears  we  look  up  to  our  Great 
Commander  and  to  the  group  of  martyrs  ascended 
to  his  presence,  and  greet  him  and  them,  saying, 
"We  offer  a  larger  niimher  of  equally  heroic  souls 
for  Africa.     Command!  it  is  our  joy  to  obey." 

This  statement  represents  the  sentiments  of  the 
officers  and  members  of  both  of  our  missionary 
societies,  ami  of  our  whole  church. 

Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller,  editor  of  the  Woman*s  Evan- 
gel, expresses  the  sorrow  and  hope  of  all,  in  the 
following  beautiful  poem,  entitled : 

"our  martyred  friends. 

"  For  this  sweet  task,  O  blessed  Christ,  inspire 
My  thouglit !     As  thee  in  dark  Gethsemane 
The  angel  soothed,  and,  with  his  holy  touch, 
New  strength  bestowed  to  fit  thee  for  thy  cru- 
cial hour,  so  strength  divine  impart  to-day. 

•*  As.  years  agone,  the  toys,  the  shoes,  the  hat 
Of  my  own  darling  boy  I  held  and  said, 
'These,  these  are  all  that 's  left,'  while  burning  tears 
Like  rain  fell  o'er  thera,  so  to-day  I  hold 
The  things  that  once  were  theirs — these  letters  sweet 
That  came  oft  from  afar,  and  made  this  old 
Evangel  ever  new  —  gave  it  new  wings 
To  fly  the  nations  o'er,  bearing  sweet  words 
Of  hope  and  joy,  of  wide,  deep  plans  achieved, 


OUR    MARTYRED    FRIENDS  ISt 

Of  plans  that  reach  out  into  coming  years ; 
I  clasp  these  letters  tight  and  cry  in  grief 
Too  deep  for  sounding  line  to  mete,  '  Alas  1 
These,  these  are  all  that 's  left ! ' 

"  Be  still,  sad  heart ! 
Full  well  thou  know'st  thy  darling  boy  hath  blest 
Each  year,  each  day  that  steetcheth  through  the  year, 
And  made  thee  strong  to  bear,  to  do  for  love's 
Own  sake.    These,  whom  with  love's  eternal  cord 
So  tight  you  hold,  are  only  gone  away — 
Like  Moses,  hid  by  God  among  the  clouds 
On  Nebo's  heights,  in  fiery  chariot  snatched 
Away  from  earth  —  so  like  the  holy  Christ, 
Sore  bruised,  and  pierced,  and  mocked,  and  basely  slain. 

"Oh,  think !  thou  canst  not  weigh  their  holy  joy 
To-day,  as  by  the  Crucified  they  stand 
And  show  their  wounds  for  love  of  him  received — 
For  love  of  his  lost  sheep  he  came  to  save — 
Poor  Afric's  sons.    O  heart  of  pity,  break 
Anew  o'er  these  who  blindly  slew  their  Lord ! 
'  Ye  did  it  unto  me.'     They  knew  it  not. 
O  heart  of  pity,  break  anew,  and  plead 
For  these  lost  souls  who  dared  to  slay  Christ's  own  I 
Thus,  thus  we  deem  our  martyred  ones  to-day 
Stand  near  their  Lord  presenting  oft  their  wounds. 
They  Uve,  they  live !  who  dares  to  think  them  dead? 
As  years  and  ages  come  and  go,  they  '11  live 
To  plead  for  that  black  laud  drenched  with  their  blood. 
The  land  for  which  they  died. 

"  We  see  them,  aye,  we  hear  each  voice  to-day. 
As,  bending  just  above,  scarce  out  of  sight. 
They  cast  their  martyr  crowns  before  the  Lamb 
Who  erst  was  slain ; 

With  broken  hearts  we  clasp  their  spirit  hands, 
And  join  with  them  before  the  throne  to  plead 


134  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIKREA    LEONE 

For  Afric's  poor  black  sheep  —  the  Shepherd's  own 
Redeemed,  yet  age  ou  age  iu  heittheu  uight 
Enchained  by  Satan's  hellish  power — his  slaves! 

"  We  plight  anew  our  lives  to  earnest  toil; 
This  martyred  host  forever  live !  and  live 
In  us ;  and  in  these  pages  where  their  lives 
Were  wont  to  shine  —  here  they  must  live  and  breathe, 
And  bless  our  toil,  and  make  us  brave  to  win 
The  lost  world  back  to  Christ.    It  must  not  be 
That  these,  our  well  belov'd,  have  died  in  vain." 


PART   II 

MEMOIRS  OF  OUR  HEROIC  DEAD  IN 
SIERRA  LEONE,  WEST  AFRICA 


Rkv.  I.  N.  Cain. 


PART  11 

MEMOIRS  OF  OUR  HEROIC  DEAD  IN 
SIERRA  LEONE,  WEST  AFRICA 


Massacred   at   Eotufunk,    West    Africa,  May  3, 
1898. 

1.  Rev.  I.  K  Cain,  A.B. 

2.  Mrs.  I.  N.  Cain,  A.B. 

3.  Miss  Mary  C.  Archer,  M.D. 

4.  Miss  Marietta  Hatfield,  M.D. 

5.  Miss  Ella  Schenck. 

Massacred  at  Taiama,  West  Africa,  May  9,  1898. 

6.  Rev.  Lowry    A.  McGrew. 

7.  Mrs.  Clara  B.  McGrew. 

Died  of  fever  at  Rotufunk.  West  Africa, 

8.  Rev.  Richard  N.  West. 

9.  Miss  Frances  Williams. 

10.  Miss  Elma  Bittle. 

Died  of  apoplexy  at  Freetown,  West  Africa. 

11.  Rev.  Joseph  Gomer. 

137 


138  MISSION    WOKK    IN    SlEKKA    LEONE 

"These  all  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the 
promises,  but  having  seen  them  and  greeted  them 
from  afar,  and  having  confessed  that  they  were 
strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth.  For  they  that 
say  such  things  make  it  manifest  that  they  are 
seeking  after  a  country  of  their  own.  And  if  in- 
deed they  had  been  mindful  of  that  country  froju 
which  they  went  out,  they  would  have  had  oppor- 
tunity to  return.  But  now  they  desire  a  better 
country,  that  is,  a  heavenly:  wherefore  God  is 
not  ashamed  of  them,  to  be  called  their  God :  for  he 
hath  prepared  for  them  a  city"  (Heb.  11 :  13-16, 
E.  v.). 

The  following  papers  are  of  different  lengths, 
not  because  of  any  difference  in  the  merits  of  their 
subjects,  but  because  of  our  inability  to  get  all  the 
facts  desired  of  some  of  them. 

They  are  not  written  for  the  eye  of  the  literary 
critic,  but  they  are  flowers  of  affection  from  the 
gardens  of  the  hearts  of  loving  friends,  laid  ten- 
derly upon  our  martyrs'  graves. 

ISAAC    NEWTON    CAIN 

was  born  near  Cainsville,  Missouri,  August  28, 
IS  64,  and  was  the  sixth  in  a  family  of  ten  children. 
When  the  lad  was  eight  years  old  his  motlior  died, 
and  four  yearslater  his  father  also  died.  Leftearly 
to  care  for  himself,  he  developed  a  self-reliance  of 
rare  value.  In  1881  he  was  converted,  while  liv- 
ing near  West  Union,  Iowa.  In  1885  he  entered 
Western  College,  and  began  to  prepare  for  his  life 
work.  By  teaching  part  of  the  time,  and  taking  a 
pastoral  charge  at  another  time,  he  earned  the 
money  that  enabled  him    to  complete    a  college 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUK    HEROIC    DEAD  139 

course,  graduating  in  1892,  a  bachelor  of  science. 
In  August  following  he  was  married  to  a  classmate. 
Miss  Mary  E.  Mutch,  and  soon  after  sailed  for 
Rotufunk,  West  Africa,  under  the  employment  of 
the  Woman's  Missionary  Board. 

Mr.  Cain  and  his  wife  served  in  the  mission 
field  for  three  and  one-half  years,  then  returned 
for  rest  and  change  of  climate.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  returned  to  their  alma  mater  during  the  year 
of  rest  and  completed  the  classical  course  of  study. 

In  the  autumn  of  1897,  they  both  went  back  to 
Rotufunk,  Africa,  for  a  five  years'  term,  but  death 
claimed  them  on  the  third  day  of  May  following. 
They  were  massacred  by  those  they  sought  to  bless 
and  save. 

Mr.  Cain  was  tall  and  graceful  in  person,  with 
pleasant  face  and  easy  presence.  He  was  noted  as 
a  diligent  student,  and  his  goodness  of  heart  made 
him  a  favorite  among  all  his  acquaintances. 

His  practical  turn  of  mind  led  him  to  experi- 
ment in  making  bricks,  and  building  a  chapel  at 
Rokon  out  of  the  same.  This  element  of  his  nature 
was  of  great  value  to  the  field  he  served. 

He  was  a  good  teacher  and  preacher,  and  above 
all  a  courteous,  conscientious,  cultured  Christian 
gentleman,  of  a  type  rarely  found. 

Personal  Impressions  of  Rev.  I.  !N^.  Cain. 

BY  ALFRED  T.   HOWARD,  A.M. 

Not  only  beauty  is  in  the  rose,  though  the  rose  is 
beautiful.  Not  only  strength  is  in  the  hills,  though 
the  hills  are  strong.  Not  all  virtues  are  equally 
shown  in  the  characters  of  men,  however    much 


140  MISSION    WOKK    IN    SIERRA    LEONK 

those  characters  command  our  admiration.  As  this 
testimony  is  given  to  the  personal  qualities  of  a 
fallen  comrade  I  would  not  be  understood  to  mean 
that  these  qualities  by  which  I  have  been  most 
deeply  impressed  were  the  only  virtues  that  graced 
his  splendid  character.  Among  men  whom  I  have 
known  he  was  the  most  unselfish.  That  unselfish- 
ness was  shown  by  his  pledge  to  foreign  service 
when  proposals  that  were  almost  entreaties  were 
being  made  to  keep  him  at  home.  But  he  was  a 
man  with  a  conscience  that  ruled  him  thoroughly, 
so  when  personal  ambition  and  inclination  were 
weighed  against  the  needs  of  heathen  men  self  lost, 
God  and  the  heathen  won. 

Once  on  the  foreign  field  he  was  in  no  haste  to 
assume  control,  but  took  a  subordinate  position 
given  him  in  the  school,  filling  it  as  willingly  as 
though  it  had  been  a  professorship  in  his  own  West- 
ern College.  Outside  of  school  his  was  the  careful, 
ceaseless  task  of  overlooking  a  whole  great  com- 
pany of  boys  and  teaching  them  habits  of  industry, 
punctuality,  thoroughness,  and  thrift  by  personal 
association  and  example.  Under  his  direction  tlie 
boys  began  to  make  brick,  which  may  mean  little 
enough  to  comfortable  people  in  America,  but  in 
a  country  where  houses  of  clay  have  for  centuries 
been  the  homes  of  the  people,  and  where  white  ants 
mischievously  destroy  any  structure  of  wood,  the 
man  who  instructs  the  people  to  build  permanent 
homes  will  check  the  nomadic  character  of  Mendi 
and  Temni  men,  and  make  of  these  wanderers, 
citizens.     The  beginning  of  this  task  was  not  easy. 

I  always  admired  Mr.  Cain  for  the  approval  he 
gave  his  predecessor  in  the  superintendency.   After 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  141 

my  own  experiences  in  the  tropics,  the  land  of 
everlasting  August,  I  incline  to  the  belief  that 
criticism  is  indigenous  to  the  soil.  But  few 
methods  of  missionary  operation  have  been  tried 
sufficiently  long  to  secure  for  them  universal  and 
absolute  confidence.  It  is  so  easy  then  in  that  pro- 
vokingly  hot  country  to  blame  one's  associates  for 
what  Satan  himself  is  responsible.  Mr.  Cain  al- 
ways discovered  the  best  qualities  in  his  associates. 
When  he  took  up  the  superintendency  of  the  Bom- 
peh  mission,  there  was  no  minimizing  the  work  cf 
his  predecessor  to  make  his  own  labor  appear  to 
better  advantage.  I  remember  sitting  with  him  in 
a  native  house  at  Mocourri  in  the  Mendi  country, 
and  while  speaking  of  the  early  work  and  workers, 
he  said,  "I  tell  you  I  liked  Brother  West.  He  was 
a  great  missionary."  His  appreciation  of  Brother 
West's  years  of  faithful  toil  always  won  for  him 
the  confidence  of  his  associates  in  his  own  ad- 
ministration. Without  an}'  change  of  policy  he 
took  up  the  work  and  sought  earnestly  to  extend  it 
into  the  interior,  which  had  always  engaged  his 
keenest  interest. 

Personal  conviction  is,  and  must  continue  to  be, 
of  great  weight  in  mission  work.  Certainly  this 
has  its  benefits,  but  there  is  an  embarrassment  that 
sometimes  comes  to  a  superintendent  who  must 
adjust  these  personal  convictions  to  the  most  urgent 
needs  of  the  field.  Mr.  Cain  would  change  his  own 
plans  again  and  again  that  every  missionary  might 
be  in  a  place,  so  far  as  possible,  congenial  to  his 
inclinations-  I  never  could  tell  what  he  did  not 
like  to  do.    He  made  no  complaints. 

A  second  characteristic  was  his  enthusiasm.     I 


142  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONB 

have  never  seen  Western  College,  and  yet  I  think 
there  is  hardly  an  old  student  of  that  institution,  or 
a  nook  or  corner  in  that  building,  with  which  I  am 
unacquainted.  He  would  talk  of  Western  College 
by  the  hour,  exhibiting  a  loyalty  that  could  not  fail 
to  win  admiration.  If  that  college  has  many 
aluumi  like  him,  its  perpetuity  is  altogether  secure. 
I  doubt  whether  any  financial  agent  in  the  co-oper- 
ating conferences  could  do  more  earnest  talking 
than  this  man  did  out  of  downright  heart  love,  six 
thousand  miles  away.  His  interest  in  the  great 
country  that  lay  to  the  east  of  Sierra  Leone  was 
only  equaled  by  the  belief  that  God  had  called  our 
church  to  that  special  work,  and  that  we  were  able 
togoup  and  take  the  land.  Wherever  his  testimony 
to  the  cause  of  missions  was  given  there  was  ia  it 
the  ring  of  confidence,  and  in  his  company  con- 
fidence was  contagious.  This  confidence  in  men 
won  for  him  the  love  of  the  people  who  kncAv  him. 
Between  him  and  his  boatmen  or  hammock  men 
there  was  an  attachment  not  usually  observed  be- 
tween a  white  man  and  a  native  laborer.  I  have 
traveled  with  him  in  the  coimtry  and  heard  him 
and  his  favorite  hammock  boys,  "Boat,"  "Boggy," 
and  "Two  Copper,"  laughing  together  as  they  ran 
along,  as  merrily  as  though  they  were  all  compan- 
ions with  equal  gifts.  It  must  still  be  proved  that 
these  lowly  friends  of  his  knew  of  the  plot  to  take 
his  life  in  time  to  rescue  him  and  his  companion 
martyrs.  Here  and  there  among  the  disciples  there 
may  be  a  Judas,  but  compared  with  the  faithful 
the  unfaithful  are  few.  Human  hearts  cannot  be 
trusted  as  our  brother  trusted  them,  without  giving 
a  generous  response.     Let  him  who  places  no  re- 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  143 

liance  on  men  of  another  race  go  out  and  demon- 
strate the  truth,  or  folly,  of  his  belief.  Mr.  Cain 
believed  every  man  worthy  of  confidence  till  he 
found  that  man  untrue.  Having  loved  his  own,  he 
loved  them  unto  the  last. 

To  an  English  officer  who  was  stopping  with  him 
for  a  few  days,  not  long  before  the  rebellion,  he  said, 
"Do,  captain,  remember  our  people.  They  may  do 
wrong,  but  they  are  ignorant."  Those  who  knew 
him  best  were  not  surprised  to  learn  his  last  words. 
When  that  infuriated  mass  of  men  gathered  around 
him,  and  he  held  in  his  hand  a  revolver  that  could 
have  killed  a  number  of  his  enemies,  he  threw  the 
weapon  away,  and  said,  ^'I  will  not  have  any  man's 
blood  on  my  hands."  That  statement  will  do  to  go 
down  on  the  records  with  the  words  of  our  Lord : 
'Tather,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do" ;  and  of  Stephen :  "Lord,  lay  not  this  sin 
to  their  charge."  Faithful  watchman,  like  Ezekiel. 
he  lifted  his  voice  to  warn  the  people  of  their 
danger  during  his  life,  and  in  death  no  blood  of  his 
fellow-men  stained  his  garments.  A  foreign  land, 
a  hateful  climate,  raging,  ignorant  enemies  were 
exchanged  in  one  eventful  morning  as  he  walked 
out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went,  for  the  long 
homeland,  the  breezes  that  spring  from  the  health- 
ful shade  of  the  tree  of  life,  the  association  of  his 
kindred,  the  redeemed — wondrous  transition ! 
Earth,  enemies ;  heaven,  Jesus. 

Long  before  we  quit  these  mortal  shores  he  has 
joined  that  innumerable  company  which  no  man 
can  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindred,  and  people, 
and  tongues,  standing  before  the  throne,  and  before 
the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in 


144  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

their  hands — "^these  are  they  which  came  out  of 
great  tribuhition,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  .  .  . 
They  shall  himger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any 
more ;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor 
any  heat.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them 
unto  living  fountains  of  waters:  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 

Mary  Elizabeth  Mutch  Cain. 

BY  UNCLE  STEWART  FORBES. 

Mary  E.  Mutch  was  born  October  28,  1860,  iii 
Hillsboro,  Wisconsin.  She  was  the  second  in  a 
family  of  ten  children — five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, llcr  father  was  a  Scotchman  of  sterling 
worth,  who  served  his  adopted  country  in  the 
Forty-nintli  Wisconsin  Infantry  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  died  after  the  close  of  the  War  from  the 
effects  of  carnal  life. 

Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Keller,  a 
descendant  of  the  early  Dutch  settlers  on  the  Mo- 
hawk. 

From  both  parents  the  subject  of  this  sketch  in- 
herited noble  moral  and  intellectual  qualities,  and 
was  early  inspired  with  high  ideals  of  life. 

Mrs.  Cain,  from  her  tender  childhood,  was  noted 
for  her  kind  and  gentle  disposition,  to  use  her 
mother's  words.  She  loved  religion  from  a  child, 
and  early  became  an  object  of  affectionate  regard 
among  her  large  circle  of  relatives  and  associates. 
Of  a  studious  nature,  she  early  manifested  an 
aptitude  for  acquiring  useful  knowledge,  and  a 
laudable  ambition  to  attain  to  the  qualifications 


Mrs.  Mary  M.  Cain. 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  145 

necessary  to  fit  her  for  a  school-teacher.  With  this 
aim  in  view,  she  proved  an  apt  and  progressive 
pupil,  and  for  her  gentle  and  unassuming  deport- 
ment she  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  teachers  and 
schoolmates.  When  she  was  about  seventeen,  she 
taught  her  first  school  for  about  two  years,  as 
nearly  as  we  can  remember.  Previous  to  com- 
mencing life  as  a  teacher,  Mrs.  Cain  made  a  pub- 
lic profession  of  her  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  as 
offered  in  the  gospel,  by  becoming  a  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  on  Millard's  Prairie,  and 
was  baptized  by  immersion.  That  she  has  ever 
since  adorned  her  profession  with  a  becoming 
grace,  her  beautiful  life,  so  full  of  goodness,  the 
outflow  of  a  meek  and  gentle  spirit,  the  excellent 
example  she  set  for  her  associates  in  the  different 
places  where  her  duties  as  a  teacher  led  her,  are  a 
bright  and  living  testimony  of  the  Christian  worth 
of  one  who  being  dead,  yet  speaketh.  Her  motto 
was  onward  and  upward.  Teaching  and  attending 
the  seminary  by  turns,  she  used  her  money  to  ad- 
vance her  knowledge  in  the  higher  branches.  Her 
certificates  received  during  the  ten  years  she  taught 
school  show  a  steady  advance  from  third  to  first 
grade,  and  prove  her  industry  and  high  aims  to 
attain  success.  As  a  teacher,  and  in  the  manner 
of  conducting  a  school,  Mrs.  Cain  was  progressive 
as  in  everything  else.  Commencing  to  teach  so 
young,  it  was  feared  by  some  that  her  gentle  na- 
ture and  reluctance  to  resort  to  severe  measures  to 
control  refractory  pupils,  would  mar  her  success 
in  the  line  of  order,  but  her  record  as  a  first-class 
teacher  in  the  ten  years  she  followed  that  im- 
portant calling,  and  in  different  parts  of  the  State, 

10 


14G  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONB 

proved  her  capability  in  every  respect,  and  her 
courteous  and  ladylike  mien  and  carriage  gained 
her  hosts  of  friends  wherever  she  went. 

Mrs.  Cain  was  ever  a  loving  and  dutifiil  daugh- 
ter and  affectionate  sister.  Her  eldest  brother,  a 
fine  young  man  of  twenty-two,  had  a  large  share  of 
his  sister's  love,  which  he  appreciated  with  a 
brother's  affectionate  return.  His  sad,  untimely 
death  from  an  accident,  while  braking  on  the  rail- 
road, shed  a  gloom  over  the  family. 

The  father's  deep  anguish ;  the  heart-stricken  cry 
Of  sisters  and  brothers  for  him  they  loved  dear; 

How  the  grief-stricken  mother,  by  faith  looked  on  high, 
And  a  home  for  her  darling  she  saw  through  her  tears. 

In  less  than  three  years  the  father,  after  a  lin- 
gering illness,  followed  the  son,  in  his  fifty-first 
year.  Of  a  large  family,  and  her  father  often  ail- 
ing since  the  War,  Mrs.  Cain  showed  her  deep  af- 
fection by  affording  the  means  out  of  her  school 
earnings,  to  enable  her  two  younger  sisters  to  at- 
tend the  seminary  and  high  school  at  Elroy  until 
they  were  qualified  to  teach.  Although  Mrs.  Cain 
when  a  girl  loved  to  mingle  among  her  large  circle 
of  kindred  associates  and  friends  for  pleasant  pas- 
time on  occasions,  yet  she  was  of  too  serious  a  turn 
of  mind  to  be  a  party  in  anything  that  appeared 
to  her  to  be  frivolous,  or  out  of  place  for  her  high 
ideal  of  Christian  life.  She  shunned  dancing 
parties  entirely,  even  the  little  home  affairs  in  the 
neighborhood  ;  otherwise  she  enjoyed  a  social  gath- 
ering among  her  relatives  and  friends  very  much, 
and  contributed  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  hour  by 
her  musical  talents  and  sweet,  mellow  voice  in  sing- 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR   HEROIC   DEAD  147 

ing,  and  otherwise  making  the  time  pleasant  to  old 
and  young,  alike ;  and  those  social  home  gatherings 
of  kindred  ties  and  friends  are  pleasant  memories 
of  bygone  years. 

Having  in  her  early  girlhood  chosen  that  good 
part  which  the  other  Mary  chose,  it  seemed  to  be 
the  desire  of  her  heart,  and  the  aim  of  her  well- 
trained  mind,  to  abstain  from  every  appearance  of 
evil.  She  ever  strove  to  attain  to  the  highest  ideal 
of  a  pure,  true  woman  in  Christ.  And  so  conscien- 
tious was  she  in  the  duties  pertaining  to  practical 
life  that  the  Master's  injunction,  "Let  your  light 
so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  gorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven," 
appeared  to  be  her  sincere  desire  to  follow  in  all 
that  she  did  or  said.  The  following  pen  picture  of 
true  womanhood,  written  of  a  dear  relative*  of 
Mrs.  Cain's,  is,  in  our  mind,  descriptive  of  herself: 

"  God's  lyric  on  earth  is  a  woman, 

With  a  loving  heart,  tender  and  true ; 
Her  mind,  like  a  bright  summer  day-dawn, 

All  balmy  with  fragrance  and  dew ; 
As  mother  or  daughter,  as  sister  or  wife, 
A  heaven-dropped  melody,  cheering  all  life. 

"A  mixture  of  Mary  and  Martha, 
Of  Dorcas,  of  Hannah  and  Ruth, 
Of  Eve,  and  the  daughter  of  Jephthah, 

With  Esther  a  heroine  in  truth  — 
A  rare  composition  of  everything  nice, 
And  far  above  pearls  or  rubies  her  price." 

After  a  period  of  ten  years  of  school-teaching 
except  the  times  she  attended  the  higher  schools, 

*  An  aunt  of  Mrs.  Cain,  and  precious  wife  of  the  writer,  among 
Mrs.  Cain's  last  letters  home,  and  one  of  sweet  condolence  to  us. 


148  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Mrs.  Cain,  in  1888,  entered  Western  College, 
Iowa.  It  was  there  she  first  met  Mr.  Cain,  and 
where  was  formed  those  tender  sentiments  of 
mutual  affection  and  true  love  which  resulted  in 
their  union  for  life.  They  both  graduated  in 
1892,  in  the  scientific  course,  and  their  marriage 
was  celebrated  at  the  home  of  the  bride's  mother  in 
the  month  of  August  following,  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  gathering  of  kindred  and  friends.  Rev.  D.  C. 
Talbot  ofiiciating.  They  sailed  for  Sierra  Leone 
in  October  following,  and  returned  to  their 
mother's  home,  in  Elroy,  in  June,  1896,  where, 
aside  from  another  term  at  Western  College,  to 
complete  the  classical  course,  they  made  their 
home  till  they  left  for  Sierra  Leone  the  second 
time.  During  their  stay  with  their  mother  here, 
their  wide,  Av  arm-hearted,  kind,  and  courteous 
bearing  was  highly  appreciated  among  their  large 
circle  of  relatives  and  friends  in  Elroy  and  vicinity. 

They  made  many  new  acquaintances,  who  were 
glad  of  the  same,  and  shed  sunshine  and  pleasure 
wherever  they  came. 

The  different  churches  were  opened  invitingly 
for  them  to  hold  missionary  services,  or  to  lecture. 
Mr.  Cain  preached  several  times,  by  special  re- 
quest, on  the  absence  of  pastors.  Both  took  a  lilv 
eral  interest  in  Sunday-school  work  and  in  other 
societies  of  the  church,  ever  manifesting  their 
heartfelt  desire  to  be  about  the  blaster's  business. 
They  were  always  welcome  guests  at  the  homes  of 
their  relatives  and  friends,  who  felt  their  presence 
to  be  a  benison  of  glad,  social  enjoyment. 

The  writer  of  these  pages,  and  others,  will  not 
soon  forget  the  picnic  gathering  at  the  pleasant 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  149 

home  and  shady  lawn  of  our  son-in-law  and  daugh- 
ter, near  the  old  United  Brethren  Church,  on  Mil- 
lard's Prairie.  The  party  was  gotten  up  as  a 
testimony  of  kindred  and  friendly  esteem  for  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cain,  about  to  depart  on  their  far-away 
journey.  It  was  a  day  of  pleasant  associations,  not 
unmixed  with  regrets  at  the  thoughts  of  parting 
with  them  so  soon.  But  little  did  we  reckon  of  the 
dark  cloud  looming  in  the  far  tropical  sky,  or  that 
the  two  precious  forms  who  stood  together  on  that 
day  by  the  organ  and  joined  their  well-trained 
voices  in  sacred  song,  w^ould  ever  become  the  vic- 
tims of  savage  cruelty.  In  our  simple  minds  we 
had  trusted  that  the  British  government,  appre- 
ciating (as  we  learned)  the  services  of  the  United 
Brethren  missions  within  their  territory,  would 
protect  the  mission  homes  and  vicinity  from  law- 
less savages.  We  were  told  by  Mr.  Cain  that  the 
governor  of  Sierra  Leone,  at  an  assembly  in  which 
he  was  present,  paid  a  high  tribute  in  his  speech 
to  the  missions  and  their  good  w^ork  in  the  terri- 
tory. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cain's  departure  for  their  mis- 
sion was  accompanied  by  the  prayers  and  best 
wishes  of  all  with  whom  they  associated  here,  who 
knew  and  appreciated  their  sterling  worth.  And 
the  tidings  of  their  ruthless  slaughter,  with  that  of 
their  associates  in  the  good  work,  was  a  terrible 
shock  to  their  loved  ones,  and  to  the  whole  com- 
munity. 

A  brief  sketch  in  reference  to  Mrs.  Cain's 
brothers  and  sisters  will  close  our  work  on  these 
pages. 

Out  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  Mrs.  Mutch  has 


150  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

now  six  left,  three  sons  and  three  daughters;  the 
daughters  are  all  married.  Ida,  the  oldest,  and 
Nellie,  the  next,  are  married  to  brothers  of  the 
name  of  Main,  and  live  in  Barron  County;  the 
youngest,  ISTancy,  to  Charles  Miller.  They  own  and 
occupy  the  old  homestead  on  Millard's  Prairie. 
The  sons  are  unmarried.  The  eldest,  Charles,  is 
in  the  laundry  business  at  Viroqua.  John's  occu- 
pation is  painting  and  calcimining.  His  home  is 
with  his  mother  in  Elroy.  James,  the  youngest,  is 
attending  the  University,  at  Madison.  A  niece  of 
Mr.  Cain's,  Maud,  whom  he  and  Mrs.  Cain 
adopted,  and  consigned  to  their  mother's  care  on 
returning  to  Africa,  is  now  one  of  Mrs.  Mutch's 
family,  and  goes  to  school. 

Previous  to  disposing  of  her  farm  to  her  son-in- 
law,  Mrs.  Mutch  purchased  a  house  and  lot  in 
Elroy,  and  took  up  her  residence  here  five  years 
ago.  Memorial  services  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cain 
were  held  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  Mrs.  Mutch  is  now  a  member,  Kev.  Mr. 
Gordon,  pastor.  Two  lifelike,  enlarged  cabinet 
pictures  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cain  stood  in  brackets 
on  either  side  in  front  of  the  rostrum,  bringing 
tearfully  tender  memories  of  the  dear  ones  gone, 
to  the  large  audience  of  IMrs.  Mutch  and  family, 
sympathizing  kindred,  neighbors,  and  friends. 

Mary  C.  Archer. 

BY  REV.   BYRON  J.  CLAKK. 

Mary  C.  Archer  was  born  in  Madison  County, 
Towa,July  28,1864,  and  died  at  Eotufunk,  Africa, 
May  3,  1898,  being  thirty-three  years,  ten  months, 
and  twenty-six  days  old  at  the  time  of  her  tragic 


Miss  Maey  C.  Archer,  M.D. 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  151 

death.  She  was  the  oldest  daughter  of  a  family 
of  six  children.  At  eleven  years  of  age  her  mother 
died,  leaving  Mary  with  special  burdens  for  one 
of  her  age;  the  father  kept  the  family  together, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  Mary  entered  Callanan 
College,  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  she  spent  three 
years.  She  had  the  advantage  of  a  good  country 
school  in  childhood,  where  she  was  well  prepared 
for  her  college  life.  Like  many  young  people  who 
most  appreciate  a  good  education,  she  had  to  make 
her  own  way  through  school,  providing  the  means 
of  an  education  with  her  own  hands;  this  she  ac- 
complished by  occasionally  teaching  a  term  of 
school,  and  in  other  ways. 

One  year  was  spent  in  Western  College,  Toledo, 
Iowa,  when  she  entered  King  Electric  Medical 
College,  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  from  which  she  grad- 
uated in  1888,  and  for  six  years  she  practiced  med- 
icine in  her  home  city,  meeting  with  eminent  suc- 
cess. She  was  converted  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
and  joined  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  was 
an  honored  member  until  her  martyrdom  for  the 
cause  she  loved.  While  living  in  Des  Moines  she 
most  actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  church, 
serving  as  Sunday-school  superintendent,  president 
of  the  Endeavor  Society,  an  earnest  worker  in  the 
Woman's  Missionary  Society,  and  during  all  this 
time  teaching  a  class  in  the  Sunday  school.  She  is 
loved  and  most  tenderly  remembered  by  all  who 
knew  her,  as  a  model  of  Christian  example  and 
faithfulness.  The  spirit  of  her  life  still  lives  in 
the  work  of  the  local  church  where  she  belonged. 
Oh,  how  we  miss  her,  but  how  honored  we  feel  to 
have  on  our  church  roll  the  name  of  one  now  in 
heaven,  wearing  a  martyr's  crown. 


152  MISSION    WOKK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Doctor  Archer  was  especially  gifted  as  a  writer 
and  preacher,  presenting  a  smooth,  elegant,  and 
magnetic  style  of  arrangement  in  the  matter  of  her 
composition.  She  would  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
most  careless  listener,  as  well  as  interest  the  most 
profound  thinker.  How  feelingly  she  could  speak 
of  her  desires  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost;  how 
fervent  she  would  become  in  her  appeals  to  the 
sinner  and  in  her  remonstrances  to  the  faithless, 
half-hearted  Christian;  yet  through  it  all  she  mani- 
fested such  a  sweet  and  tender  s^anpathy  as  to 
touch  and  arouse  the  most  cold  and  hardened  heart, 
and  bring  about  the  best  results  in  Christian  evan- 
gelization. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1895,  at  a  ministerial 
institute,  at  Cambridge,  Iowa,  when,  in  connection 
with  the  institute,  the  Woman's  Missionary  Asso- 
ciation held  a  session,  that  she  spoke  of  her  ac- 
ceptance of  the  call  to  the  African  field.  How 
seriously  she  spoke  of  her  call,  and  her  longings 
to  present  Christ  to  the  souls  of  that  darkened 
land.  And,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  she  was 
ordained  by  Bishop  J.  S.  Mills,  at  an  annual  con- 
ference held  at  Corning,  Iowa,  and  immediately 
sailed  for  her  chosen  field.  No  more  successful  mis- 
sionary ever  entered  Africa  than  our  own  beloved 
Sister  Archer;  she  became  an  almost  indispensa- 
ble factor  in  the  mission  work  at  Rotufunk,  caring 
for  the  other  missionaries  in  their  sickness ;  cheer- 
ing them  in  their  discouragements,  by  the  sweet 
sunshine  of  her  life;  serving  the  mission  as  both 
their  physician  and  pastor,  her  life  was  indeed  a 
holy  benediction  to  all.  And  then  when  the  black 
faces  of  the  natives,  carrying  with  them  some  of 


i 


Miss  Mariktta  Hatfiici.d,  M.D. 


MEMOIRS    OP   OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  153 

the  most  loathsome  diseases,  appeared  at  her  oflSce 
for  treatment,  while  bathing  their  sores,  or  ad- 
ministering remedies,  she  never  failed  to  pre- 
sent Christ  to  them.  She  was  thoroughly  in 
love  with  her  work,  and  all  felt  it  who  knew  her. 
She  was  cruelly  murdered  by  those  she  sought  to 
save,  and  for  whom  she  had  sacrificed  home  and 
strong  attachments  in  the  homeland.  But  how  like 
her  Saviour ;  he  left  his  home  in  the  sky,  and  came 
to  earth  to  save  mankind.  How  cruelly  they  treat- 
ed him — crucified  him  among  the  thieves  and  rob- 
bers. Slain  by  those  he  had  come  to  save !  May 
the  death  of  our  beloved  missionaries  aid  in  the  re- 
demption of  Africa.  How  costly  is  the  field,  and 
how  precious  the  cause.  Let  us  keep  burning  the 
light  so  nobly  lighted  by  our  martyred  mission- 
aries. 

Doctor  Archer's  work  in  Africa,  as  pastor  at 
Rotufunk,  and  at  the  same  time  medical  mission- 
ary for  the  station,  was  one  of  great  zeal  and  faith- 
fulness in  loving  service  for  her  Master.  No  dis- 
eased native  was  too  loathsome,  no  mud  hut  was 
too  humble  to  prevent  her  ministrations  of  mercy. 
TiOved  by  co-laborers  and  natives  alike,  her  most 
promising,  youthful  life  was  joyfully  placed  upon 
the  high  altar  of  sacrifice,  an  offering  acceptable 
unto  God. 

Marietta  Hatfield. 

BY  REV.   Z.   T.   HATFIELD. 

Marietta  Hatfield  was  born  at  Ludlow  (now 
Potsdam),  Miami  County,  Ohio,  October  11, 
1851,  and  was  therefore  in  her  forty-seventh  year 
at  the  time  of  her  tragic  death.     She  was  the  third 


154  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

of  a  famil}'  of  thirteen,  eight  of  whom  survived 
infancy  and  reached  manhood  and  womanhood.  Six 
of  these,  the  writer,  of  Decatur,  Illinois;  M.  F. 
Hatfield,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana ;  Oscar  Hat- 
field, of  Center,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Clara  Britton,of  Pots- 
dam, Ohio;  Miss  Mina  Hatfield,  of  West  Milton, 
Ohio;  and  Mrs.  Emma  Gregory,  of  Kansas  City, 
Kansas,  with  an  invalid  mother,  survive  her. 

She  lived  with  her  parents  in  the  village  of  her 
birth  until  about  sixteen  years  old,  and  attended 
the  village  school,  the  only  educational  advantage 
ever  enjoyed,  prior  to  attending  the  Woman's  Med- 
ical College,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  she  fitted 
herself  for  the  mission  field,  save,  perhaps,  a  term 
or  two  at  a  school  under  the  supervision  of  the 
ISTew  Lights,  at  Merom,  a  small  to"wn  on  the 
Wabash  River,  in  the  western  part  of  Sullivan 
County,  Indiana.  When  about  sixteen  she  began 
teaching,  which  profession  she  followed,  more  or 
less  continuously,  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  or 
more.  She  was  remarkably  successful  and  was 
never  necessarily  without  employment  in  her  call- 
ing. Her  services  were  eagerly  sought  wherever 
she  was  known.  In  1878  she  went  to  Illinois  and 
made  her  home  with  the  writer,  near  Downs,  Mc- 
Lean County,  engaging  in  her  much-loved  work  of 
teaching.  A  year  was  very  pleasantly  spent  here, 
making  many  friends,  who  proved  of  much  value 
when  a  few  years  later  she  returned  to  Illinois.  Re- 
turning to  Ohio,  she,  with  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters,  some  time  afterward  removed  to  Plains- 
field,  Indiana,  fourteen  miles  southwest  of  Indian- 
apolis, on  the  Illinois  and  St.  Louis  Railroad. 
After  a  residence  of  several  months  at  the  above- 


MEMOIRS    OF   OUR   HEROIC   DEAD  155 

named  place,  she  again  went  to  Illinois,  where  her 
reputation  as  a  teacher,  made  at  her  first  coming, 
enabled  her  readily  to  find  employment.  Two  or 
three  years  concluded  her  residence  in  that  State, 
when  a  second  time  she  removed  to  Potsdam,  Ohio, 
taking  with  her  a  sister,  Mina,  and  her  invalid 
mother. 

It  was  while  living  here,  doubtless,  that  the 
purpose  of  becoming  a  missionary  fully  matured 
in  her  mind,  and  actual  preparations  for  its  con- 
summation began.  Having  determined  upon  the 
medical  branch  of  mission  work,  the  first  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  acquire  the  necessary  qualifications. 
This  she  set  about  at  once.  The  term  of  school  in 
which  she  was  then  employed  expired  about  March 
6,  and  on  March  12,  1889,  she  matriculated  at 
the  above-named  medical  college,  less  than  a  week 
after  the  close  of  her  school.  Two  years  of  hard 
work  followed.  Impelled  by  an  intense  longing 
for  active  service  in  the  field  of  her  choice,  she 
would  not  lose  even  the  vacation,  but  while  other 
students  returned  home  for  rest  and  recuperation, 
she  remained  in  the  city  pursuing  her  studies 
privately,  availing  herself  of  all  the  hospital  ad- 
vantages possible.  When  her  class  graduated  she 
declined  to  do  so,  not,  as  a  member  of  her  class  in- 
formed me,  because  she  was  any  the  less  proficient 
or  in  any  way  less  competent  than  the  others  for 
the  duties  of  a  physician,  but  because  she  desired 
the  best  qualifications  possible  to  her  time  and 
means.  Accordingly,  she  entered  college  for  an- 
other term,  graduating  March  4,  1891. 

Prior  to  this  event  she  had  applied  to  the  Wom- 
an's Board    of  Missions  of    the    Church    of  the 


156  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LKONE 

United  Brethren  in  Christ,  of  which  church  she 
was  a  member,  for  work  in  Africa.  The  happiest 
day  of  her  life  was  when  the  news  reached  her  that 
she  was  accepted.  She  was  consecrated  to  the  work 
to  which  she  gave  her  life  the  evening  of  May  22, 
in  the  United  Brethren  Church,  at  Decatur, 
Illinois,  about  ten  weeks  after  her  graduation. 

The  time  intervening  between  this  and  her  de- 
parture was  occupied  in  preparation,  very  little  be- 
ing spent  in  visiting  among  her  relatives.  She 
sailed  from  New  York  for  Liverpool  in  the  City 
of  Chicago,  Sej)tember  23,  1891,  in  company  with 
the  Misses  Schenck  and  Bittle,  the  latter  surviving 
the  change  of  climate  but  eight  months,  the  former 
becoming  a  fellow  martyr.  At  Liverpool  the  com- 
pany embarked  on  the  Angolia,  a  British  liner, 
about  October  10,  and  landed  at  Freetown  tho 
twenty-ninth  of  the  same  month.  In  a  few  more 
days  she  was  established  in  her  quarters  at  Rotu- 
funk,  the  first  one  that  her  church  had  recognized 
as  exclusively  a  medical  missionary.  Her  work 
was  arduous.  In  consequence  of  the  policy  of 
gratuitous  service  her  patients  soon  numbered  four 
score  or  more  per  day. 

The  duties  became  onerous,  and  she  sought  a 
change  of  policy,  that  of  requiring  a  compensa- 
tion which  to  the  patients  would  seem  an  equiva- 
lent for  what  they  received.  This  proved  a  benefit 
in  many  ways.  First,  it  reduced  the  number  of 
patients  and  relieved  her  somewhat  from  over-tax- 
ation; yet  with  this  reduction,  in  ten  months  she 
treated  sixteeii  hundred  patients.  This,  too,  was 
accomplished  with  an  expenditure  of  a  little  less 
than  thirty  dollars  above  receipts,  a  very  great  step 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR   HEROIC   DEAD  157 

toward  making  this  department  self-supporting — 
a  point  toward  which  she  bent  all  her  energies,  and 
which,  she  frequently  said,  must  obtain.  The  bene- 
fit to  the  natives  themselveswas  very  great.  It  gave 
them  more  faith  in  the  remedies  and  a  much 
greater  regard  for  the  doctor.  Notwithstanding 
the  hard  work^  the  inconveniences  arising  from  in- 
adequate equipment,  and  the  lack  of  counsel,  she 
loved  her  work.  She  loved  it  because  it  was  the 
Master's  work.  She  worked  and  suffered  in  his 
name. 

Three  years  and  more  thus  passed  away  when 
the  decision  of  the  council  of  missionaries  was 
to  send  Mrs.  West  and  the  Misses  Schenck  and 
Thomas  and  herself  to  America  for  rest  and  re- 
cuperation. Her  coming,  however,  was  contingent 
upon  the  arrival  of  Doctor  Light  and  wife,  with 
Bishop  Hott  and  a  party  of  outgoing  missionaries. 
They  (Doctor  Light  and  wife)  did  not  come,  yet 
she  said :  "I  will  not  leave  our  missionaries  with- 
out a  physician.  I  shall  feel  as  happy  at  Rotufunk 
as  if  I  had  gone  to  America."  She  returned  to  her 
work,  satisfied  with  His  way  of  doing  things. 
This  to  her  seemed  a  trivial  incident,  but  to  those 
who  were  very  desirous  to  see  her,  it  was  a  great 
trial,  and  attested  the  love  she  had  for  her  work. 
The  strain,  however,  was  too  great  and  her  health 
began  to  fail.  Still  she  wrote :  "This  is  my  best 
year  in  Africa,"  and  "with  a  pang  I  remember  that 
in  a  few  short  weeks  I  shall  have  to  leave  my  work 
and  go  home." 

She  arrived  in  ISTew  York  on  Thanksgiving  Day 
of  1895.  The  high  latitude,  with  her  already  en- 
feebled condition,  necessitated  her  staying  indoors 


158  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

for  a  greater  part  of  the  winter;  in  consequence 
thereof  she  did  not  get  very  far  away  from  her 
home  for  several  weeks.  At  last  she  ventured  out, 
going  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  stopping  with 
a  brother  there  some  weeks  more.  Another  venture, 
and  she  arrived  atDecatur,  Illinois,  stopping  several 
Aveeks  Avith  the  writer.  While  here  it  was  learned 
that  she  was  undecided  as  to  returning  to  Africa. 
Shortly  after  her  arrival  in  Decatur  she  received  a 
letter  from  Miss  Eaton,  one  of  the  missionaries  at 
Rotufunk,  describing  the  trend  of  affairs,  espe- 
cially those  with  the  new  doctor,  Miss  Archer,  with 
whom  she  had,  while  at  home  in  Potsdam,  some 
talk  concerning  the  duties  of  a  physician  at  Rotu- 
funk. She  seemed  well  pleased,  and  incidentally 
remarked  that  if  certain  conditions  should  obtain 
she  might  return.  I  think  that  her  purpose  to  re- 
main in  America,  if  she  had  one,  may  date  its 
first  shock  to  that  letter.  From  Illinois  she  went 
back  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  with  Miss  C. 
C.  Conley  opened  an  office,  for  the  practice  of 
medicine,  at  1531  jSTorth  Eighth  Street. 

After  some  months  here  the  need  of  a  more  de- 
sirable location  was  realized.  One  was  sought  and 
found  on  Third  Street.  While  in  that  city  she 
united  with  the  Vigo  Medical  Society,  attended 
the  services  at  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
attended  the  meetings  of  the  missionary  society. 
She  was  not  wholly  satisfied  with  herself  after  em- 
barking in  this  business  enterprise,  and,  as  I  think, 
construed  the  lack  of  patronage  to  her  being  out  of 
the  line  of  duty,  more  than  to  anything  else,  and  so 
regarded  it  as  a  call  back  to  her  missionary  work. 
The  association  with  Miss  Conley  was  very  agree- 


MEMOIRS    OF   OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  159 

able,  but  not  meeting  with  the  success  they  both 
desired,  at  the  end  of  six  months  the  office  was 
discontinued,  Miss  Conley  returning  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  to  work  on  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer,  a 
position  she  had  relinquished  for  the  purpose  of 
engaging  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  Doctor 
Hatfield  going  to  White  Water,  Wisconsin,  to  visit 
and  attend  an  invalid  sister,  who,  like  herself,  was 
a  physician. 

Having  concluded  to  return  to  her  loved  work  in 
Africa,  she  so  notified  the  Board  and  met  with 
them  at  their  annual  meeting  at  Lisbon,  Iowa,  in 
May,  1897.  At  this  meeting  she  told  her  niece, 
Mabel  Hatfield,  daughter  of  the  writer,  that  she 
was  going  to  Africa  to  stay ;  that  she  did  not  ex- 
pect to  return ;  little  thinking  then  that  her  stay 
would  be  so  short,  or  that  her  discharge  from  duty 
would  be  so  violent.  God  moves  certainly  in  a 
mysterious  way  to  accomplish  his  wise  and  bene- 
ficent purposes.  We  can  only  say,  "Thy  will  be 
done." 

A  few  months  of  preparation,  a  little  talking 
here  and  there  publicly,  which  always  was  a  heavy 
cross  to  her,  and  the  time  for  departure  again  ar- 
rived. One  little  incident  occurred  at  a  local  meet- 
ing of  the  Board  of  Managers  just  prior  to  her 
leaving,  which  I  shall  speak  of,  simply  to  indicate 
the  degree  of  heart  she  had  in  the  work  of  saving 
the  poor  African.  She  was  very  desirous  to  own  a 
full  complement  of  surgical  instruments,  and  not 
having  the  money  to  procure  them,  she  asked  a 
loan  of  fifty  dollars  from  the  society.  It  was 
immediately  taken  under  advisement  by  the  presi- 
dent, Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller,  and  others,  who,  after  con- 


160  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA   LEONE 

sultation,  returned  and  told  the  doctor  that  they 
could  not  loan  her  the  money,  but  that  they  would 
make  her  a  present  of  that  amount.  The  announce- 
ment proved  too  much  for  her  to  withstand,  and 
she  completely  collapsed,  finding  relief  in  a  flood 
of  tears.  It  is  said  that  she  afterward  declared 
if  there  ever  was  a  day  in  her  life  happier  than 
when  she  received  the  notice  that  her  first  applica- 
tion to  the  Board  was  accepted,  it  was  the  one  on 
which  she  received  that  fifty  dollars,  so  generously 
given  by  the  Board  of  ]\Ianagers. 

She  sailed  the  second  time  from  New  York  for 
Liverpool,  October  2,  1897,  in  company  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cain,  Miss  Schenck,  companions  in  mar- 
tyrdom, and  Mr.  Ward;  and  Miss  Mullen,  in  the 
employ  of  the  Kadical  United  Brethren  Society, 
on  board  the  Lucania,  a  Cunard  liner, making  close 
connection  at  Liverpool  with  the  Bagana,  a  British 
steamer,  bound  for  Freetown,  where  they  landed 
October  23,  making  the  voyage  in  less  than  a 
month.  The  voyage  was  uneventful,  save  the  leav- 
ing of  Miss  Mullen  at  Liverpool,  and  the  going 
ashore  at  Madeira.  Freetown  was  reached  in  a 
storm.  Was  it  significant?  Did  it  forecast  the 
exit  ?  The  Stars  and  Stripes  and  waving  of  hand- 
kerchiefs from  the  Yates  &  Porterfield  building 
welcomed  them,  however,  through  the  storm.  When 
the  fierceness  of  the  storm  abated,  the  mission  boat 
with  ]\rr.  and  Mrs.  McGrew,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King, 
and  Miss  Cronise  on  board,  pushed  out  from  the 
wharf  and  drew  alongside  the  vessel  and  greeted 
the  party  with  good  cheer.  Services  were  held  at 
the  home  of  Mr.  Smart,  of  the  Yates  &  Porterfield 
firm,  on  the  evening  of  the  twenty-fourth,  by  in- 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  161 

vitation.  Mr.  Kingman  and  Mr.  Price,  of  the 
Sudan  mission,  were  present.  Rotufunk  was 
reached  in  a  day  or  two,  and  the  party  settled  down 
to  mission  work,  save  the  doctor  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McGrew,  who  were  preparing  to  go  to  the  interior, 
to  Taiama,  in  the  Mendi  country. 

On  the  way  to  this  latter  place,  overtaken  by  the 
rains,  they  sought  shelter  and  rest  in  one  of  the 
villages,  but  found  neither.  The  huts  to  which  they 
were  assigned  were  dilapidated  and  almost  roof- 
less, and  they  were  compelled  to  sit  up  all  night 
under  their  umbrellas.  The  doctor  not  being 
acclimated,  could  not  endure  the  strain  upon  her 
physical  resources,  and  she  soon  returned  to  Rotu- 
funk for  medical  aid. 

Her  health  never  became  fully  restored,  and  her 
arduous  duties  proved  too  much  for  her  impaired 
condition.     She  spent  a  little  time  at  the  Bethany 
Cottage,  on  Mt.  Leicester.     Again,  constrained  to 
accept  medical  treatment,  she  returned  to  Rotu- 
funk, where  she  was  that  ill-fated  third  day  of 
May.     She  was  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
class  at  Potsdam,  Ohio,  where  it  was  her  purpose 
to  have  her  name  remain,  which,  so  far  as  I  know, 
was  done.     How  well  she  did  her  work  the  Board, 
in  whose  employment  she  died,  will  answer.     Her 
work  is  done.     The  river  is  crossed,  and  although 
it  was  stormy  and  violent,  rest  and  victory  will  be 
none  the  less  sweet  or  less  glorious.     A  martyr  s 
crown  is  the  privilege  of  but  few,  and  He  who  sees 
and  knows  the  heart  and  life  makes  no  mistake  m 
the  award      Let  the  tragic  death  of  these    heroes 
and  heroines  prove  such  an  incentive  to  our  church 
as  to  thrust  her  to  the  front  in  missionary  endeavor 

in  the  years  to  come. 
11 


162        mission  work  in  sierra  leon! 
Ella  Schenck. 

Ella  Schenck  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  D.  J. 
Schenck,  of  Auglaize  Conference,  and  was  born 
near  Willshire,  Ohio,  January  30,  1866.  ^  Her 
mother  died  when  she  was  but  four  years  of  age, 
but  she  always  spoke  most  tenderly  of  the  care 
and  love  of  her  second  mother.  Her  educational 
privileges  were  limited  and  frequently  inter- 
rupted, because  of  the  itinerant  life  of  the  home ; 
yet,  by  the  watchful  care  of  the  mother,  the 
children  made  commendable  progress  in  study  in 
the  various  schools  they  attended.  She  spent  some 
time  in  Roanoke  Classical  Academy  and  at  Eastern 
Indiana  JSTormal  School,  where  she  graduated  in 
the  teachers'  course  in  a  shorter  time  than  any 
other  member  of  her  class. 

She  subsequently  took  a  course  in  stenography 
and  typewriting  in  Sydney,  and  also  acquired  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  photography.  She  taught 
a  number  of  schools,  and  with  such  success  that 
not  a  word  of  complaint  ever  reached  her  parents.. 
Though  she  loved  home,  she  longed  to  do  more  for 
God  and  humanity  in  more  needy  fields.  She  often 
spoke  of  missionary  work,  and  asked  the  consent 
of  her  parents  to  her  entering  the  foreign  field. 
Once  she  said  to  her  father,  "Would  you  consent  to 
my  going  to  Africa  ?"  Scarcely  weighing  her  ques- 
tion, he  answered,  "Yes,  you  can  go."  She  cheer- 
fully replied,  "Well,  I  am"^  going,"  and  on  Septem- 
ber 23,  1891,  in  company  with  Doctor  Hatfield  and 
Elma  Bittle,  she  sailed  from  New  York  on  the 
Steamship  City  of  Cldcago.  Her  last  words,  sent 
back  by  the  pilot  that  day,  were ;  "May  the  God  of 


Miss  Ella  Schenck. 


MEMOIRS   OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  163 

love  go  with  and  keep  us  all  true  and  faithful 
workers  in  the  harvest  fields,  whether  at  home  or 
in  Africa.  Farewell  home,  country,  and  friends  ! 
farewell  until  God  chooses  to  reunite  us  either  on 
earth  or  in  heaven." 

After  a  term  of  three  and  a  half  years  in  Africa 
and  a  rest  of  several  years  at  home,  she  wrote  the 
trustees  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association: 
"I  can  no  longer  bear  the  responsibility  of  remain- 
ing in  America,  and  I  cheerfully  offer  myself  for 
a  second  term  in  Africa."  She  again  passed  a  fa- 
vorable medical  examination,  was  gladly  accepted 
by  the  Board,  and  in  company  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cain,  Doctor  Hatfield,  and  Arthur  Ward,  sailed 
October  1,  1897,  and  upon  reaching  Rotufun.k  took 
the  position  of  her  choice,  the  matronship  ct  the 
Girls'  Home,  where  she  was  so  useful  and  so  happy 
in  her  work.  The  following  tribute  from  one  well 
knovm,  who  worked  with  her  on  the  field,  will  tell 
its  story  of  her  worth : 

Mrs.  Lida  M.  West  writes  of  her :  "Thinking  of 
Ella  Schenck,  a  life  of  consecration  and  devotion 
to  God  and  humanity  rises  before  me.  The  sweet 
impressions  made  on  my  mind,  and  that  never  left 
me  as  the  years  went  by  and  our  acquaintance 
ripened  into  intimacy,  were  first  formed  in  her 
father's  home  in  Lockington,  Ohio,  where  I  had 
gone  to  participate  in  her  consecratory  service. 
Her  interest  in  the  welfare  and  work  of  her  father 
and  mother,  the  loving  helpfulness  to  brothers  and 
sisters,  especially  the  little  brother,  and  the  deep 
regrets  of  her  many  friends  at  her  departure,  made 
me  realize  what  her  home,  church,  and  community 
had  lost,  and  what  the  Woman's  Missionary  Asso- 


164  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

elation  and  Africa  had  gained.  She  went  to  Africa 
for  Jesus'  sake,  loving  the  dear  ones  at  home  none 
the  less,  yet  having  a  wealth  of  affection  for  those 
for  whom  she  went  to  labor,  and  for  whom  she  gave 
her  life.  Her  earnest,  loving  heart  and  deep,  sym- 
pathetic nature,  found  a  ready  response  in  the 
hearts  of  the  natives.  To  the  children  she  was  al- 
ways a  friend ;  to  the  old,  a  confidant  and  com- 
forter. A  rich  endowment  of  natural  gifts  coupled 
with  grace  eminently  qualified  her  for  the  various 
positions  which  she  occupied. 

"During  her  first  term  her  special  work  was  in 
the  school-room,  where  she  rendered  most  excellent 
service.  But  in  connection  with  this,  and  in  it 
she  delighted  most,  was  the  direct  work  with  the 
people  in  their  o^\^l  homes,  the  work  so  dear  to  the 
heart  of  Miss  Williams  and  laid  do^vn  by  her  when 
she  joined  the  company  on  high.  Indeed,  in 
was  at  home  in  the  pulpit,  and  most  happy  in  her 
relation  as  leader  of  the  Sabbath  morning  seekers' 
class.  She  knew  how  to  teach,  exhort,  and  rebuke 
with  all  long-suffering.  She  was  an  ardent  worker 
in  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  and 
Temperance  Legion  work  and  never  failed  to  stand 
by  in  anything  and  everything  that  would  help  the 
people  honor  the  Lord  and  hasten  on  his  kingdom. 
She  was  generous  to  a  fault.  Time,  strength,  and 
money  were  freely  yielded  up  even  to  her  own  det- 
riment. 

"Though  so  kind  and  gentle  she  was  possessed  of 
a  strong  will,  making  her  a  fearless  denouncer  of 
sin,  and  causing  her  to  endure  censure  rather  than 
yield  a  point  that  to  her  seemed  right.  'She  will 
make  a  good  mother,'  I  said,  on  learning  of  her 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR   HEROIC   DEAD  165 

appointment  to  the  Girls'  Home.  I  am  sure,  as  in 
other  places,  the  Father's  blessing  would  have  been 
upon  her  work  there. 

"Associated  with  her  in  the  field  for  two  years,  I 
loved  her  much,  and  I  tenderly  remember  how  in 
my  own  great  sorrow  she  helped  bear  the  burden 
and  gave  more  than  a  sister's  love. 

"Her  feelings  on  returning  to  Africa  last  fall  are 
expressed  in  a  personal  letter  written  while  on  the 
way :  'I  am  in  many  respects  glad  to  go  back ;  more 
happy  than  when  I  fiist  went,  but  the  home-leaving 
was  harder  than  before.  However,  I  am  trusting 
my  Lord  as  I  believe  I  have  never  trusted  him  be- 
fore, and  I  firmly  believe  he  is  going  just  before 
me  and  choosing  the  way,  and  I  am  glad  in  him. 

"'^I  shall  go  to  the  grave  of  your  dear  one  and 
care  for  it,  as  I  know  you  would  do  were  you  there 
— and  it  may  be  that  my  own  resting-place  shall 
be  quite  near ;  even  so,  if  it  please  my  Lord  so  to 
do  with  me.'  Again  she  writes:  '1  know  how 
much  you  would  like  to  be  with  us,  and  yet  He  who 
directs  our  paths  knows  where  he  needs  us  most.  I 
go  gladly.  I  have  a  deep  abiding  peace  and  com- 
fort which,  makes  and  keeps  me  strong.  T  know, 
my  dear  (a  term  she  so  often  used),  you'll  pray 
hard  that  much  of  the  Master's  will  may  bo 
wrought  in  me.' 

"These  are  her  beautiful  words,  written  when 
Trankie'  and  'Elma'  yielded  up  their  beautiful 
lives  for  Africa's  redemption:  ^I  can  think  of 
nothing  that  would  make  death  more  welcome 
than  to  meet  it  here,  to  die  for  these  dear  children 
as  my  Saviour  died  for  me.  Tt  is  the  suffering  and 
dying  Saviour  that  melts  the  stony  heart.  So  with 


166  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

US — that  which  our  lives  cannot  do  our  deaths  may 
do.'  May  it  not  be  so,  and  did  not  he  lead  'all  the 
way,  all  the  way  V  " 

LOWEEY  A.  AND  ClABA  B.  McGeEW. 

BY  BKV.  W.  L.  BUNGKB. 

Lowery  Allen  McGrew  was  born  November  5, 
1858,  at  West  Baltimore,  Ohio,  where  he  lived 
with  his  parents  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  he 
was  about  twenty  years  of  age.  This  manner  of 
life  gave  him  the  healthy  body  and  rugged  consti- 
tution which  afterward  aided  him  to  serve  the 
Master  in  difficult  fields.  Though  in  early  life  his 
education  was  very  much  neglected,  by  hard  study 
he  prepared  himself  for  teaching.  It  was  in  a 
school  at  Eldorado,  Ohio,  that  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Miss  Clara  B.  McCoy,  whom  he 
married  August  9,  1883.  The  next  year  after  his 
marriage  he  and  his  wife  were  converted  in  a 
meeting  at  West  Baltimore,  Ohio,  and  from  this 
time  seemed  to  begin  the  unfolding  of  God's  plan 
in  their  lives,  which  plan  is  always  larger  and  bet- 
ter than  our  own.  In  pursuance  of  His  plan  he 
entered  the  Seminary  in  1886  and  graduated  in 
1890,  having  done  pastoral  work  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  in  connection  with  his  school  duties. 
After  graduation  he  served  Mt.  Zion  charge, 
Miami  Conference,  three  years,  and  Cherry  Grove 
charge  until  February  15,  1896,  when  he  resigned 
to  accept  from  the  Woman's  Missionary  Board  an 
appointment  in  the  African  field.  Here  he  did 
faithful  service  for  Christ  until  the  tragic  end 
came. 


Rkv.  and  Mrs.  L.  A.  McGrew. 


MEMOIRS   OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  167 

Mrs.  McGrew  was  ihe  daughter  of  pious  parents, 
her  father  having  been  brought  up  in  the  Friends 
Church  and  her  mother  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  but  after  their  marriage  they  became 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  near  El- 
dorado, Ohio,  where  in  their  country  home  many 
of  the  older  ministers  of  Miami  Conference  were 
accustomed  to  share  their  hospitality. 

Mrs.  McGrew  was  born  January  30,  1862,  and 
lived  a  quiet,  studious  life  until  she  was  married 
and  entered  the  Seminary.  Her  careful  home 
training  and  early  education,  together  with  the 
Seminary  course,  eminently  fitted  her  for  the 
duties  of  a  pastor's  wife.  She  always  shared  in 
the  burdens  of  the  pastorate,  often  occupying  the 
pulpit  in  the  crowded  seasons  of  work.  She  was 
particularly  active  in  the  missionary  association 
work,  and  always  had  upon  her  heart  the  burden 
of  the  world's  evangelization.  In  her  letters  to 
friends  she  expressed  her  willingness  to  serve 
Christ  and  the  church  wherever  it  was  his  will  to 
place  her.  ISTow  that  she  has  given  her  life  to  tha 
One  she  loved,  may  God  raise  up  others  to  take 
her  place  in  the  ranks. 

BY  G.  A.  FUNKHOtrSER,  D.D. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  L.  A.  McGrew  entered  the  Sem- 
inary in  September,  1886,  graduated  May,  1890, 
and  were  promoted  to  wear  the  martyr's  crown,  like 
Paul,  May  9,  1898,  at  Taiama,  West  Africa. 

They  are  the  first  of  the  graduates  of  the  Sem- 
inary to  be  thus  honored.  True,  Rev.  Mr.  West 
attended  Seminary  two  years,  gave  his  life  to  the 
risen  Lord  for  service  in  Africa,  and  on  the  morn- 


168  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

ing  of  the  resurrection  will  come  from  the  Dark 
Continent,  but  the  names  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGrew 
will  stand  first  on  the  roll  of  martyred  graduates. 
Whose  names  next,  our  Father  knows. 

Mr.  McGrew  had  been  a  successful  school 
teacher.  When  called  to  preach  he  wished  to  enter 
at  once  upon  the  work.  His  presiding  elder  kindly 
told  him  he  must  first  take  a  course  in  the  Sem- 
inary. Mr.  McGrew  remonstrated,  not  wishing  to 
spend  the  time  and  money  necessary.  The  elder 
was  firm,  and  the  names  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGrew 
were  on  the  roll  of  students.  They  located  near  the 
Seminary  in  their  own  property ;  staid  four  years, 
part  of  which  time  he  served  small  charges  as  pas- 
tor. 

He  always  referred  with  gratitude  to  the  firm- 
ness of  the  elder,  Dr.  G.  M.  Mathews,  which 
turned  him  into  the  Seminary  for  that  equipment 
which  made  life  mean  more  and  opened  larger 
fields  of  usefulness.  Both  were  good  students,  con- 
scientious, industrious,  hard-working,  and  self- 
denying.     They  graduated  in  a  class  of  thirteen. 

After  five  years  of  efficient  service  in  Miami 
Conference  they  saw  the  urgent  appeal  of  the 
Woman's  Board,  offered  themselves  for  service  in 
Africa,  and  sailed  March  28,  1896. 

They  never  regretted  their  decision  to  serve  ii? 
the  front  line  where  dangers  were  thickest,  toil  the 
hardest,  because  they  saw  the  need  was  greatest.  In 
letters  to  me  Brother  IMcGrew's  utterances  were 
always  worthy,  sometimes  heroic.  From  his  last 
to  me,  dated  Bethany  Cottage,  February  18,  1898, 
I  quote:  "We  spent  three  months  at  Taiama,  then 
came  here  to  take  our  vacation.     The  people  of 


MEMOIRS   OF    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  169 

Taiama  were  in  quite  a  disturbed  state  while  we 
were  there,  which  made  the  work  go  very  slowly. 
We  are  so  apt  to  want  the  work  to  go  in  our  own 
way  and  at  our  time,  but  the  Lord  knows  best.  The 
work  is  his,  and  that  he  will  surely  bless  it  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  When  the  night  is  darkest  the 
pillar  of  fire  is  the  brightest.  Tell  the  students  ol" 
the  Seminary  we  are  glad  for  the  great  interest 
they  show  in  the  mission  work,  and  that  some  of 
them  have  their  faces  toward  the  heathen  world. 
May  the  Lord  bless  you  all." 

Who  of  the  Seminary  alumni  will  with  Isaiah 
say,  "Here  am  I ;  send  me"  ? 

At  first  it  did  not  appear  right  to  speak  of  these 
two  faithful  workmen  under  one  caption,  but  it 
seemed  a  necessity,  because  of  lack  of  knowledge ; 
and  after  maturer  reflection  it  does  not  seem  so 
incongruous.  The  two  were  blended  into  such  a 
beautiful,  harmonious  union,  one  in  aim,  sym- 
pathy, aspiration,  while  supjilementing  each  other 
in  mental  qualities.  He  was  brave,  she  was  cau- 
tious, both  were  very  prudent  and  economical. 

In  a  long  journey  through  the  Mendi  country 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGrew,  Miss  Cronise,  and  Super- 
intendent King  were  my  associates.  Reaching 
Mongherri,  Saturday  noon,  Mr.  King  and  I  re- 
solved to  go  back  over  the  road  three  or  four  miles 
to  look  for  gold,  having  picked  up  some  quartz 
containing  some  of  the  metal,  as  we  came  in.  We 
found  no  more  gold,  but  hearing  a  waterfall  in 
the  distance  we  went  into  the  forest  to  find  it. 
There  we  discovered  and  explored  Lucile  Falls. 
Night  came  on  us,  and  we  were  lost  in  the  jungle 


170  MISSION    VVUKK    IN    SIEKKA    LEONK 

in  trying  to  reach  the  path  leading  back  to  the  vil- 
lage. We  made  a  hre,  and  listened  to  the  voices  of 
the  forest. 

Toward  midnight  Mr.  McGrew  shouldered  his 
gun  and  led  a  band  of  ten  black  men  into  the  forest 
in  search  of  us.  He  found  us,  pulled  us  out,  and 
took  us  into  camp  before  morning.  We  found  the 
ladies  in  tears,  but  Mrs.  McGrew's  anxiety  for  her 
husband  can  never  ba  forgotten  by  those  who  wit- 
nessed it. 

Mr.  King  and  I  had  fallen  into  a  swamp  in  our 
efforts  to  get  out  of  the  woods,  and  were  wet  and 
chilly  when  we  reached  the  city.  I  asked  for  some- 
thing warm,  but  the  fires  were  all  out.  Miss 
Cronise  went  to  her  medicine  case  and  brought  out 
a  little  phial  (no  larger  than  my  little  finger).  It 
contained  liquor,  which  I  drank.  Mrs.  McGrew 
had  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  liquor.  She  gave  Mr. 
King  half  a  tablespoouful.  IsTeither  of  us  could 
get  a  drop  more,  for  she  informed  us  that  Doctor 
Archer  sent  it  along  to  be  used  only  in  case  of  a 
snake-bite.  On  inquiry,  it  was  learned  that  all  the 
balance  of  it  returned  from  that  long  journey  and 
reached  Eotufunk  in  safety. 

I  cite  this  incident  merely  to  emphasize  one 
strong  characteristic  of  both  of  these  dear  friends 
— their  carefulness  in  managing  the  property  and 
funds  submitted  to  their  care.  Shortly  before 
their  death,  Mr.  McGrew  Avrote  me  that  he  had 
been  able  to  save  for  the  mission,  during  the  eigh- 
teen months  he  was  superintendent,  $2,292.55  of 
the  appropriations  made  for  that  period. 

My  associations  with  them  were  very  pleasant, 
and  they,  with  the  others  who  have  devoted  their 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  171 

lives  for  the  welfare  of  Africa,  will  ever  live  in 
my  memory  and  affections. 

Recollections. 

BY  MRS.   LIDA  M.   WEST. 

My  acquaintance  with  the  four  of  our  beloved 
fallen  missionaries,  with  whom  I  was  associated  in 
the  field  for  more  than  two  years,  began  in  this 
country. 

In  1891  in  Lockington,  Ohio,  I  had  the  priv- 
ilege of  participating  in  the  service  that  publicly 
set  apart  for  work  in  Africa  Miss  Ella  Schenck. 

The  same  year  I  first  met  Doctor  Hatfield  on  the 
way  to  the  Board  meeting,  held  at  Decatur, 
Illinois,  where  she  received  her  appointment  and 
was  dedicated  to  her  life  work  in  the  same  field. 
In  1892,  on  the  way  to  New  York,  after  a  night 
of  broken  rest,  with  a  grip  for  a  pillow,  we  lay 
half  asleep,  too  weary  to  care  that  we  were  nearing 
the  famous  Horseshoe  Bend.  The  day  was  just 
dawning  when  a  tall,  fine-looking  man  entered  the 
car  and  a  moment  later  was  inquiring  if  we  were 
the  Wests.  "I  am  Cain."  he  said.  Mrs.  Cain  wad 
in  the  sleeper.  They  had  arisen  early  to  see  for 
the  first  time  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
especially  the  Bend. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cain  were  our  companions  to 
Africa.  Doctor  Hatfield  welcomed  us  to  Free- 
town, Sierra  Leone,  and  Miss  Schenck  to  our  old 
home  at  Rotufunk. 

I  am  asked  for  personal  recollections  of  these 
four.  Sadly  I  turn  back  to  the  happy  past  and 
think  and  live  over  again  the  days  when  we  were 
all  together  as  one  family. 


172  MISSION    WORK    IN    SlEKltA    LEONE 

The  hope  so  fondly  cherished  of  one  day  joining 
them  again  on  the  held  is  gone.  But  there  is  left 
the  glad  anticipation  of  a  part  with  them,  by  and 
by,  in  the  higher  service  in  which  they  are  now 
engaged. 

In  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cain  there  was  that  happy  com- 
bination of  natural  qualities,  culture  and  grace 
that  not  only  produces  a  beautiful  home  life,  but 
forms  the  basis  of  earnest,  successful  Christian 
work.  How  nobly  they  planned  and  labored  sida 
by  side,  in  church  and  school  and  home,  and 
everywhere  as  workmen  that  needed  not  to  be 
ashamed !  Her  chosen  work  and,  perhaps,  her  best 
was  in  the  school-room,  while  he  threw  himself 
with  a  little  extra  enthusiasm  into  the  industrial. 
How  well  I  remember  the  delight  with  which  the 
different  kinds  of  clay  were  gathered  and  molded 
into  Lrick;  the  anxiety,  as  he  watched  over  the  first 
little  kiln,  and  the  rejoicing  over  the  bright  pros- 
pect for  the  future,  as  seen  through  the  small  num- 
ber that  stood  the  test  of  fire  and  water.  How 
often  we  smilud  as  he  came  running  up  the  steps 
of  the  Girls'  Home,  his  face  all  aglow,  so  eager 
to  communicate  some  bright,  new  thought  or  plan 
that  had  just  come  to  him.  His  love  and  zeal 
sometimes  exceeded  his  physical  strength  (not  an 
uncommon  thing  for  a  missionary),  and  now  I  find 
myself  wondering  whether  the  little  monument  he 
erected  in  loving  memory  of  dear  faithful  Daddy 
Queen  has  shared  the  common  fate  of  all  om- 
precious  belongings.  It  was  formed  of  stone  and 
cement,  with  the  little  slate  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion. The  last  finishing  touches  of  love  were  given 
at  half  past  ten  at  night;   then  followed  those 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  173 

weeks  of  serious  illness  that  came  so  near  closing 
up  his  life  work. 

Brother  Cain  was  our  pastor.  Tenderly  let  me 
recall  those  hallowed  Sabbath  services  in  the  be- 
loved old  chapel  at  Rotufunk.  I  see  them  all  in 
their  accustomed  places;  Miss  Thomas  at  the 
organ ;  in  our  hands  "Hymns  for  the  Sanctuary." 
They  naturally  open  at  page  346,  Nos.  864  and 
865,  for  are  they  not  his  favorite  hymns,  and  so 
seldom  omitted  at  the  morning  service — "My 
Jesus  as  thou  wilt,"  and  "Thy  way,  not  mine,  O 
Lord."     So  beautiful  then — how  significant  now : 

"Take  Thou  my  cup,  and  it 
With  joy  or  sorrow  fill, 
As  best  to  thee  may  seem ; 
Choose  thou  my  good  and  ill." 

O  consecrated  heart,  God  gave  thee  his  best  and 
brightest  choice. 

Of  Mrs.  Cain  I  have  also  only  beautiful  mem- 
ories. I  never  think  of  her  but  I  see  that  pecul- 
iarly sweet,  winning  smile  and  a  group  of  little 
black  faces.  She  was  not  only  mother  to  all  the 
little  boys  in  the  mission,  but  their  idol  as  well. 
They  loved  her  and  were  never  so  happy  as  when 
around  her  door  or  sitting  at  her  feet.  She  must 
know  all  their  joys  and  hear  all  their  little  pala- 
vers. If  she  smiled  on  them,  patted  their  little 
curly  heads,  and  said,  in  her  own  sweet  way,  "Oh, 
never  mind,"  their  little  hearts  "lay  down"  (were 
comforted).  How  helpful  she  was  to  us  all,  so  lov- 
ing and  kind  and  good. 

Perhaps  no  department  of  missionary  work 
gives  room  for  greater  discouragement  or  need  of 


174  MISSION   WORK    IN   SIERRA   LEONB 

more  patience  than  the  medical.  In  itself  there  is 
little  that  is  pleasant  or  desirable.  The"  heart 
grows  sick  amid  the  awful  scenes  of  suffering  and 
want  and  death,  and  then  fires  with  indignation  at 
the  cruel  treatment  given  these  poor,  helpless,  dis- 
tressed ones  by  their  own  friends,  and  at  the  utter 
indifference  and  positive  disobedience  to  the  orders 
of  the  faithful  physician,  who  carries  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  life,  often  causing  a  complete  failure 
of  her  work. 

There  must  be  a  vision  of  the  poor  suffering 
ones  and  of  Jesus,  the  compassionate  Saviour.  This 
alone  can  give  strength  and  enthusiasm  to  the 
work.  Such  a  vision,  I  believe,  was  given  Doctor 
Hatfield  in  the  years  past,  when  her  preparation 
for  Africa  began.  She  was  always  ready,  no  mat- 
ter as  to  time,  place,  or  distance,  if  some  one 
needed  her. 

Then  I  remember  her  intense  anxiety  for  the 
lives  and  health  of  the  missionaries.  Some  of  the 
usual  morning  salutations  as  one  after  another 
came  to  the  dining-room  for  the  early  cup  of  tea, 
were,  "Did  you  rest  well  through  the  night?" 
"How  is  your  temperature,  normal  ?  "Feeling  bet- 
ter ?"  "All  right,  are  you  ?"  with  a  keen,  quick 
glance  into  the  face  to  detect  the  first  indication  of 
fever.  Poor  doctor !  how  many  heartaches  she 
must  have  had  over  our  imprudences,  necessary 
oi  otherwise. 

She  grieved  deeply  over  the  loss  of  our  faithful 
workers,  and  after  the  death  of  Mr.  West,  urging 
strongly  my  return  for  a  time  to  this  country,  she 
piteously  added,  "Oh,  it  will  kill  me  if  I  have  to 
bury  any  more  missionaries." 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  175 

One  of  her  ideals  for  the  future  was  a  force  of 
trained  nurses  and  physicians,  gathered  from  the 
mission  boys  and  girls.  When  our  own  George 
King,  who  had  been  her  assistant  for  two  years, 
and  who  had  just  fitted  up  a  little  medicine-chest 
and  taken  it  to  the  Boys'  Home  to  begin  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  on  the  very  day  when  he  became 
ill,  and  when  in  another  week  he  was  in  the  city 
where  they  have  no  need  of  a  physician,  for  the 
inhabitants  thereof  never  say  I  am  sick,  the  blow 
fell  with  crushing  weight  on  the  doctor. 

She  had  also  learned  Solomon's  secret,  that  "a 
merry  heart  doeth  good  like  a  medicine."     And 
many  a  witty  saying  and  hearty  laugh  turned  the 
tide  of  some  little  happening,  or  cheered  into  hope 
the  discouraged  one.     She  never  failed  to  see  the 
ridiculous  side.     She  was  strikingly  original.     A 
Bundoo  woman  having  died,  for  three  successive 
days  and  nights  the  women  of  the  Bundoo  Society 
kept  up  their  dance  in  honor  of  the  dead.     This 
consisted  in  marching  back  and  forth  from  Rotu- 
funk  below  us  to  the  Tartar  above,  clapping  hands, 
singing,  and  dancing,  keeping  time  to  the  shaking 
of  calabashes  and  beating  of  drums.     The  road  be- 
ing so  near  the  mission  house  there  was  no  sleep 
for  the  missionaries.  Doctor  appealed  to  the  chief, 
but  without  effect.    By  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
she  had  her  plan  matured.     Taking  the    skeleton 
(which  she  had  been  cleaning  up),  she  placed  it  on 
the  gate-post,  then  hiding  in  the  grass,  she  awaited 
developments.     The  moon  was  shining  _  brightly ; 
there  was  a  sudden  stop  in  the  procession,  a  few 
moments  of  perfect  stillness,  followed  by  a  loud 
burst  of  laughter.     Some  one  had  seen  it  before, 


176  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

probably  as  it  hung  from  the  chandelier  in  the 
chapel  when  the  doctor  delivered  her  lectures  on 
health  and  heredity.  Doctor  arose,  acknowledged 
she  was  beaten,  joined  in  the  laugh,  and  then  re- 
ceived the  promise  that  the  missionaries  should  not 
again  be  disturbed,  a  promise  which  they  kept  for 
that  time. 

Doctor  was  a  very  busy  woman.  Going  into  her 
room  for  a  little  chat  might  interrupt  the  special 
work  in  which  she  was  engaged,  but  there  on  the 
table  stood  the  ever-present  quinine  bottle,  and 
that  was  just  the  opportunity  for  a  new  supply  of 
those  deftly-made  tissue-paper  balls  that  no  mis- 
sionary cares  to  enlarge  upon. 

As  one  who  came  ''not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 
to  minister." 

"Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto 
me." 

Blessed  one !  thy  ministry  is  ended.  Enjoy  thy 
rich  reward. 

When  Miss  Schenck  consecrated  her  beautiful 
life  to  the  evangelization  of  Africa  she  placed  upon 
the  altar  of  sacrifice  rare  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart.  It  is  difficult  to  say  just  where  the  light 
shone  brightest. 

To  have  seen  her  in  the  school-room  one  would 
have  thought  her  life  was  bound  up  in  the  advance- 
ment of  her  pupils.  When  leader  of  the  Sabbath 
morning  seekers'  class  every  joy,  every  sorrow,  and 
every  temptation  of  those  under  her  care  was  fully 
entered  into.  I  loved  this  class  from  long  connec- 
tion with  it,  and  because  of  the  insight  it  gave  into 
the  inner  life  of  the  people.    When  no  longer  able 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  177 

to  attend  because  of  other  duties,  how  I  appre- 
ciated the  testimonies  she  so  faithfully  reported. 
When  among  the  children  she  seemed  to  have 
found  her  place.  They  knew  she  had  room  in  her 
great  sympathetic  heart  for  them  all,  and  to  her 
their  secrets  were  freely  revealed. 

But  what  she  loved  most  was  coming  in  close 
contact  with  the  strangers  in  the  town  and  the  peo- 
ple in  their  homes.  It  was  the  work  so  dear  to  the 
heart  of  Miss  Williams,  and  who  was  better  fitted 
tv";  take  it  up  than  she,  for  in  many  ways  she  was  so 
like  our  own  beloved  Frankie.  Fearless  in  de- 
nouncing sin  in  the  presence  of  the  Mohammedan, 
the  slave  dealer,  and  the  Porroh  man  ;  skillful  in 
the  word  of  God ;  tender  and  patient  to  the  slave, 
the  aged,  and  the  suffering ;  and  though  the  former 
may  have  helped  to  take  the  precious  life  at  last, 
the  latter  will  bathe  the  spot  where  she  now  sleeps 
with  tears  of  deepest  affliction. 

Most  sacred  are  the  memories  that  cluster 
around  those  last  days  that  marked  the  closing  up 
of  Mr.  West's  life,  and  of  my  own  work  in  Africa. 
Only  the  most  tender  ministries  for  him ;  but  who 
to  minister  to  them  in  that  last  sad  hour  ?  Only 
the  most  loving  sympathy  for  me,  but  not  deeper 
nor  truer  than  that  which  filled  the  hearts  of  the 
dear  boys  who  stood  by  weeping  while  the  cruel 
war-boys  did  their  awful  work. 

Just  one  year  ago  in  Lisbon,  Iowa,  I  looked 
upon  their  faces,  listened  to  their  voices  in  song 
and  prayer,  sat  at  table  with  them,  talked  of 
Africa,  the  happy  past  and  the  inviting  future, 
and  gave  the  last  good-by,  sorrowing  most  of  all 
that  I  should  be  left  behind.     Oh,  who  could  have 


178  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

dreamed  that  so  great  a  calamity  could  have  be- 
fallen lis  within  so  short  a  time ! 

"In  memory  of  John  Coleridge  Patteson,  D.D., 
whose  life  here  was  taken  by  men  for  whom  he 
wonkl  gladly  have  given  it,"  is  the  inscription  upon 
the  tall  iron  cross  which  marks  the  place  of  his 
martyrdom  in  Melanesia.  No  better  or  truer  thing 
can  be  said  of  our  own  beloved  martyrs. 

"We  cannot  see,  but  the  Father  bids  us  trust 
him.  We  may  not  know,  but  he  bids  us  believe 
him.  We  dare  not  stop,  for  he  bids  us  with  his  own 
dear  voice  go  on."  Our  hearts  respond  to  these 
Avords  of  Miss  Schenck,  and  we  will,  stepping  over 
the  graves  of  our  beloved  ten,  go  on  until  the  light 
of  the  gospel  shall  shine  into  every  dark  corner  of 
Africa. 

Of  this  noble  band  Rev.  J.  R.  King  says:  "In 
memory's  hall,  as  in  a  gallery  of  art,  hang  many 
beautiful  pictures.  Some  are  valued  highly  be- 
cause of  their  worth  as  masterpieces;  others,  be- 
cause of  their  peculiar  associations.  In  my  mem- 
ory the  pictures  of  our  martyred  missionaries  are 
cherished  for  both  reasons  mentioned.  The  mem- 
oiy  of  their  lives  floats  back  to  one  as  the  cool,  fra- 
grant breeze  on  a  hot  August  evening,  making  ouc 
forget  the  selfishness  and  the  base  sinfulness  with 
which  he  is  surrounded.  To  the  world  and  human- 
ity they  were  valuable.  Each  one  possessed  spe- 
cial elements  of  natural  endowmentand  adaptation 
for  the  work  in  which  they  were  engaged  ;  and  they 
all  had  by  careful  preparation  fitted  themselves  for 
their  chosen  work.  But  to  the  church  they  repre- 
sented in  the  thick  of  the  fight  against  heathenism 
and  superstition,  they    were    especially    valuable. 


MEMOIRS   OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  179 

Like  beautiful  stones,  skillfully  chiseled  and 
shaped,  they  have  been  placed  in  the  structure  of 
Africa's  civilization  and  evangelization  which  God 
is  rearing.  Even  though  they  be  foundation 
stones,  will  not  their  worth  be  felt  and  the  beauty 
of  their  lives  realized  ?  To  me  they  are  priceless ; 
associated  in  the  work,  the  memory  of  each  one  is 
cherished  as  a  heavenly  benediction.  Brave  and 
loyal  to  Christ  and  the  truth,  in  the  face  of  dis- 
couragement and  persecution,  they  present  to  us 
splendid  examples  of  consecration  and  devotion. 
The  prominent  traits  that  to  me  seemed  to  stand 
out  in  their  characters  were : 

"Brother  Cain,  a  holy  zeal  for  the  regions  be- 
yond, with  unselfish  consideration  for  others'  com- 
fort. Mrs.  Cain,  a  calm  and  serene  disposition,  so 
marked  as  to  quiet  the  waves  of  a  stormy  nature  in 
a  very  wide  circle ;  also  wdth  high  ideals  of  charac- 
ter which  she  sought  to  attain  in  those  whom  she 
taught. 

''Brother  McGrew,  careful,  painstaking,  with  a 
remarkable  devotion  to  his  work,  and  a  practical 
turn  that  made  him  invaluable  to  the  mission. 
Mrs.  McGrew,  wath  a  devotion  so  strong  as  to  over- 
come natural  timidity,  and  a  great  capacity  for 
work. 

"In  Miss  Schenck  was  a  consecration  so  complete 
as  to  remove  her  every  act  far  from  self-interest, 
and  a  sweetness  of  life  that  would  help  the  heathen 
a  long  way  to  understand  Christ. 

"Doctor  Hatfield  had  a  practical  turn,  with  in- 
tense Christlike  s\Tnpathy  for  suffering,  and  was 
also  remarkable  for  her  trust  in  God.  Her  favorite 
promise  was, 'All  things  work  together  for  good,' etc. 


180  MISSION    \VORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

''Doctor  Archer  was  also  very  practical,  with  an 
intense  love  for  her  profession,  and,  not  simply  as 
a  profession,  but  as  an  avenue  of  approach  to  the 
spiritual  work  for  which  she  was  so  well  adapted 
by  a  Christlike  love  for  souls.  In  ability,  so  many 
sided  that  her  loss  will  be  hard  to  replace. 

"These  special  points  indicate  something  of  the 
loss  we  sustain,  but  the  fragrance  from  their  lives 
ought  to  enrich  many  lives.  A  perfect  number — 
our  seven  mart^'red  missionaries.  There  is  a  mys- 
tery overshadows  the  church  in  this  loss.  But  to 
me  it  seems  that  God  means  to  teach  us  lessons  rich 
and  beautiful,  that  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and 
loving  devotion  may  more  completely  guide  our 
lives.  This  rich  effusion  of  precious  blood  will 
surely  bring  forth  a  bountiful  harvest  of  souls  re- 
deemed from  Africa's  darkness  and  superstition." 

The  following  paper  was  written  by  Rev.  Isaac 
N.  Cain,  and  reached  me  shortly  before  his  much- 
lamented  death.  It  reveals  the  appreciative  spirit 
of  the  writer,  as  well  as  the  noble  life  of  the  one 
about  whom  he  writes. 

Rev.  RiciiARn  N".  West  and  His  Work  in 
Afiiioa. 

BY    REV.   ISAAC    N.   CAIN. 

Very  few  men  have  held  a  more  exalted  position 
in  the  minds  of  the  people  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  than  Rev.  R.  N.  West.  Of  humble  birth, 
he  worked  his  way  by  perseverance  and  true  indus- 
try, to  a  fitness  for  life's  work  and  finally  to  a  most 
enviable  success  and  glorious  end.  He  was  born 
in  Jay  County,  Indiana,  December  25,  1850,  of 
Quaker  parents,  who    were    active    Abolitionists. 


Ri.v.  R.  N    West. 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  181 

This  may  account,  iu  a  great  measure,  for  his  sym- 
pathy for  the  African  race. 

Very  early  in  life  he  manifested  a  genius  for  the 
study  of  medicine,  and  acquired  considerable 
knowledge  of  that  science,  which  was  of  much 
value  to  him  in  after  years  in  his  missionary  work 
in  Africa. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  to  teach 
school,  and  continued  to  be  identified  with  the  ed- 
ucators of  his  community,  part  of  the  time  in  the 
capacity  of  a  teacher,  and  part  of  the  time  seeking 
better  equipment,  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age. 
With  his  conversion,  which  occurred  in  1877,  he 
felt  the  call  to  the  African  missionary  work  and 
soon  began  special  preparation,  joining  the  Au- 
glaize Conference  in  1880,  and  also  beginning  his 
work  in  the  Union  Biblical  Seminary  the  same 
year. 

In  the  summer  of- 1882  (June  22)  the  trustees 
of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association  appointed 
Mr.  West  to  the  superintendency  of  their  missions 
in  Bompeli  District,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 
At  the  same  time  Miss  Lida  Miller,  who  had  been 
a  student  in  the  Seminary  with  Mr.  West,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  same  field.  These  two  were  married 
in  August,  1882,  and  on  the  second  of  October  of 
the  same  year,  they  started  on  their  first  voyage 
from  Kew  York  City  to  Sierra  Leone.  They  took 
passage  on  the  old  Liberia,  and  were  two  months 
on  the  sea. 

The  arrival  of  Mr.  West  and  his  good  compan- 
ion at  Eotufunk,  the  headquarters  of  the  mission, 
brought  new  impulses  and  new  hopes  to  the  work 
alreadv  established,  which  work  was  at  that  time 


182  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

under  the  direction  of  the  noble  missionary,  Mrs. 
jMair. 

Mr.  West  planned  immediate  extension,  and  that 
plan  has  characterized  the  work  of  Bompeh  Mis- 
sion ever  since.  Extension  has  been  slow,  but  it 
has  ever  been  the  spirit  and  impulse  among  the  na- 
tive workers,  as  well  as  among  the  missionaries. 
Both  the  evangelistic  and  educational  work  were 
advanced  and  strengthened  by  his  presence.  He 
set  about  the  task  of  systematizing  every  depart- 
ment of  the  institution  over  which  he  had  charge. 
A  revival  spirit  characterized  the  work  from  the 
very  first,  which  continued  to  grow,  and  finally  cul- 
minated in  the  great  revival  at  Rotufunk  in  1890. 
This  revival  spread  to  the  out-stations,  affecting 
hundreds  of  people,  and  its  influence  is  still  felt  in 
all  the  community. 

The  personal  character  of  Mr.  West  was  ably 
portrayed  by  Miss  Ellen  Groenendyke  in  the 
Woman  s  Evangel  of  November,  1894.  His  was 
a  cheerful  disposition,  without  any  display  of 
levity,  with  a  power  and  disposition  to  be  helpful 
to  others  under  all  circumstances.  He  had  a  firm 
faith  in  God's  providing  care.  We  have  often 
heard  him  say,  when  tried  by  great  difficulties, 
"God  reigns."  This  was  his  watchword.  He 
thoroughly  believed  in  the  conversion  of  the  Afri- 
can people.  Even  in  the  midst  of  disappointments 
he  was  faithful  in  carrying  out  the  command  of  the 
Master,  "Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all 
the  nations."  He  was  of  a  disposition  to  rejoice 
over  his  successes  and  forget  his  reverses. 

The  many  instances  which  called  forth  the  true 
heroism  in  our   brother    would    make  a  book,  the 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  183 

reading  of  which  would  stir  our  hearts  and  spur 
us  on  to  nobler  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  which  he  so  much  loved  and  for  which  he 
gave  his  life.  On  land  and  sea  he  was  always  com- 
posed and  fearless  in  times  of  danger.  In  time  of 
war  and  ravaging  disease  he  trusted  and  pushed 
right  on.  His  appearance  was  liable  to  give  one  an 
impression  of  frailty  rather  than  of  force  and 
strong  will,  but  his  frail  tabernacle  of  clay  was  no 
criterion  of  the  hero-soul  which  dwelt  within. 

Looking  about  for  the  results  of  the  labors  of 
Brother  West,  we  are  not  disappointed.  In  the 
twelve  years  of  his  management  of  Bompeh  Mis- 
sion we  have  seen  the  gro^^^i^h  and  development 
from  a  small  beginning  to  an  institution  which  is 
a  credit  to  the  church  which  he  represented,  and 
the  colony  within  the  borders  of  which  he  labored. 

In  the  twelve  years  two  permanent  chapels  were 
completed  and  a  third  was  almost  ready  for  dedi- 
cation, one  large  school  building,  a  commodious 
girls'  home,  a  boys'  home,  one  mission  house,  be- 
sides a  number  of  additional  buildings,  were  com- 
pleted. All  these  were  built  in  modified  European 
style.  Besides  these  there  were  built  a  number  of 
large  native  houses  for  the  use  of  the  various  itin- 
erants. When  we  consider  that  much  of  the  time 
our  brother  had  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  doctor, 
pastor,  teacher,  farmer,  bookkeeper,  and  treasurer, 
and  also,  when  we  consider  that  the  forces  of  the 
climate  are  all  against  the  white  man,  and  that 
methods  of  transportation  are  slow  in  Africa,  and 
that  he  made  many  important  trips  about  the  coun- 
try, we  can  but  wonder  at  what  he  accomplished. 

In  the  twelve  years  he  took  two  vacations,  spend- 
ing about  two  years  away  from  the  field. 


184  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

The  farther  we  are  removed  from  the  iriark  oti 
the  dial  of  time  when  we  last  saw  his  face  on  earth, 
the  more  strongly  are  we  convinced  of  th^.  real  sta- 
bility of  the  character  of  his  work  in  Africa.  Sit- 
uated here  at  Kotufunk,  we  look  out  every  day  up- 
on the  monuments  of  the  untiring  zeal  of  this  man 
of  God  and  his  noble  companion. 

The  Girls'  Home,  where  the  native  girls  are 
trained  for  lives  of  usefulness  among  their  people, 
i^  a  monument  to  his  memory  as  well  as  to  that  of 
some  of  his  associates.  Out  of  this  home  have  gone 
several  girls  to  help  in  building  up  Christian 
homes  in  this  land  where  really  Christian  homes 
are  sadly  rare.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  boys' 
home. 

The  young  men  who  were  children  under 
Brother  and  Sister  West  are  now  our  most  efficient 
native  force. 

These  institutions  cannot  now  be  measured  in 
their  value.  The  eternal  records  alone  will  reveal 
in  the  "last  time"  what  a  man  with  a  high  and 
good  purpose,  with  an  intense  love  for  his  work, 
and  with  thorough  consecration,  can  accomplish. 

The  territory  in  which  Mr.  West  was  placed  is, 
providentially,  the  finest  in  this  part  of  Africa, 
and  he  was  so  thoroughly  active  that  the  ground  is 
held  and  our  territory  has  been  greatly  protected 
and  enlarged  through  the  interest  he  took  in  inte- 
rior work.  It  was  through  his  first  trip  to  the  in- 
terior, in  1889,  and  a  second  projected  by  Mr. 
Sage,  under  his  direction,  that  we  gained  and  still 
hold,  such  a  vantage  ground  in  the  Mendi  country. 
This  has  enabled  the  Parent  Board  to  claim  a  dis- 
trict and  enter  upon  the  farther  interior  work  in 


MEMOIRS   OP    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  185 

adjoining  territory  to  that  of  the  Woman's  Mis- 
sionary Association,  and  thus  our  forces  as  a 
church  will  be  able,  by  divine  assistance,  to  move 
up  in  solid  phalanx  to  the  battle  of  the  Lord. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  West  visited  Bo,  in  1888, 
he  wrote  a  letter,  which  appeared  in  the  Woman's 
Evangel,  telling  of  the  need  of  the  great  Mendi 
towns.  That  letter  was  the  means  used  of  God  to 
turn  the  mind  of  the  writer  of  this  article  toward 
Darkest  Africa  and  to  cause  him  to  give  himself 
for  service  in  that  needy  field,  and  when  five  years 
later  it  was  his  privilege,  as  an  amateur  missionary, 
to  accompany  the  veteran  to  the  interior,  he  could 
but  feel  that^he  was  being  shown  into  the  very  field 
of  his  life-work  by  the  same  one  who  had  been  in- 
strumental in  deciding  him  to  come. 

Not  only  did  his  letters  inspire  many  peopl*  at 
home  to  come  out  to  Africa  as  missionaries,  but  it 
irt  a  fact  well  worth  our  notice  that  many  were  in- 
spired to  greater  liberality  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 
The  Mendi  fund  was  started  by  the  Woman's  Mis- 
sionary Association,  and  hundreds  of  dollars  raised 
as  a  result  of  the  interest  awakened  through  Mr. 
West's  determined  purpose  to  move  out  into  the 
interior  of  Africa,  That  purpose,  though  not  car- 
ried out  in  his  lifetime,  has  been  the  signal  for  oth- 
ers to  actually  begin  a  work,  noble  and  grand,  and 
which  cannot  fail  to  be  far-reaching  in  its  results. 
The  work  is  being  planted  now  by  missionaries, 
and  young  native  men  and  women,  who'still  revere 
the  memory  of  that  faithful  missionary  and  true 
friend  of  the  African  people. 

His  last    sermon    at    Rotufunk,  in  September, 
1894,  was  an  intense  exhortation  to  be  obedient  to 


186  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

the  commission  of  the  Saviour.  On  the  22cl  of  the 
isame  month  he  fell  on  sleep,  and  as  we  said  the  last 
words  of  respect  and  resignation  over  his  remains, 
in  the  waning  light  of  a  tropical  day,  we  could  not 
but  feel  that  a  life  worthy  of  imitation  had  been 
lived  before  us;  and  while  we  sorrowed  with  the 
dear  one  left  behind,  we  felt  that  a  faithful  child 
of  the  King  had  that  day  been  freed  from  the  bond- 
age of  the  flesh  and  had  passed  triumphantly 
through  the  gate  into  the  city  of  our  God,  there  to 
dwell  forever  with  the  Lord. 

A  strong  and  beautiful  life  had  been  lived,  and 
the  end  was  victory. 

Frances  Williams. 

BY  MRS.   MARY  NEASE    KEISTKR. 

Frances  Williams,  the  first  missionary  in  the 
United  Brethren  Church  to  be  promoted  from  the 
foreign  field,  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  J.  W. 
and'  Mary  Jane  Compton  Williams.  Her  father 
having  been  married  three  times,  she  had  two  older 
half  sisters,  Mrs.  Ellen  Knowlton  and  Mrs. 
Colonel  Penny ;  two  full  brothers ;  two  younger 
half  brothers,  and  one  sister ;  also  a  stepsister  near 
her  age. 

Frances  was  born  in  Francisville,  Indiana,  April 
29,  1860.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  four 
years  of  age,  but  an  elder  sister  (Sadie)  cared  for 
her.  She  dated  her  first  religious  impressions  back 
t(y  that  early  date,  for  she  felt  then  that  if  she  were 
not  a  Christian  she  could  not  go  to  heaven  and 
would  never  see  her  mother  again.  But  it  was  not 
until  she  was  twenty  years  old  that  she  gave  her 
heart  to  Jesus.      One  Saturday    night,  December 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  187 

18,  1880,  during  a  gracious  revival  conducted  by 
Rev.  S.  W.  Keister,  at  Union  City,  Indiana,  she 
was  gloriously  saved. 

She  had  been  at  the  altar  of  prayer  for  three 
nights,  but  being  exceedingly  bashful,  she  feared 
to  trust  the  Lord.  Near  ten  o'clock  that  night, 
with  but  few  of  her  friends  kneeling  around  her  at 
the  altar,  she  was  persuaded  to  uncover  her  face 
and,  looking  upward,  to  overcome  the  "man-fearing 
spirit."  Like  a  flash  of  lightning  the  blessing 
came.  She  sprang  to  her  feet,  saying, "Hallelujah ; 
Praise  the  Lord  !"  and  without  waiting  to  greet  any 
one  she  started  for  the  door,  near  which  sat  her 
sister  waiting  for  her.  Jennie  saw  her  coming, 
saw  what  had  happened,  and  slipped  out  of  the 
door.  Without  her  shawl,  which  she  had  dropped 
at  the  altar,  Frankie  followed,  praising  God  aloud 
all  the  way  home.  The  next  morning,  at  the  nine 
o'clock  class-meeting,  with  a  beaming  face  she  was 
first  to  testify,  and  during  her  Christian  life  of 
twelve  years  she  was  exceptionally  quick  and 
prompt  in  testimony,  a  marvel  to  those  who  knew 
of  her  timidity  before  her  conversion.  That  day 
she  united  with  the  church,  and  July  10,  1881,  she 
and  eight  others  were  baptized  by  immersion  by 
her  pastor.  She  used  to  say  often,  "Brother 
Keister !  you  took  me  into  church,  baptized  me, 
now  you  are  to  marry  me  and  preach  my  funeral." 
She  was  not  a  little  disappointed  when  her  conse- 
cration service  to  missionary  work  was  read  by 
another,  for  she  said,  "This  is  my  marriage  and  I 
wanted  Brother  Keister  to  read  it." 

About  eight  months  after  her  conversion,  at  a 
camp-meeting  held  near  the  same  place, for  the  pro- 


188  MISSION    WOKK    IN    SIPJRRA    LEONE 

motion  of  holiness,  she  consecrated  her  all  to  the 
Lord,  and  on  the  way  home,  in  a  crowded  omnibus, 
she  received  the  baptism  of  power,  which  was  the 
secret  of  her  happy  life.  She  had  a  secret  desire 
to  be  a  missionary,  but  saw  so  many  difficulties  in 
the  way  that  she  feared  to  mention  it  to  any  one. 
One  day  her  pastor's  wife  came  in  where  she  was 
sewing  (she  was  a  nice  dressmaker)  and  found  her 
interested  in  the  Woman's  Evangel  she  had  been 
reading.  This  brought  up  the  subject,  and  she 
said,  "Frank ie !  wouldn't  you  like  to  be  a  mission- 
ary ?"  "O  Sister  Keister,"  and  the  big  tears  fell 
from  her  bright,  blue  eyes,  "do  you  think  I  could  ? 
Why,  I  should  be  the  happiest  person  living,  if  I 
might."  From  that  time  hope  began  to  spring  up, 
and  life  had  new  possibilities,  which  she  had  feared 
to  dream  of,  for  she  was  so  unconscious  of  her  abil- 
ity, so  humble. 

Her  want  of  a  better  education  seemed  her  great- 
est hindrance,  but  when  it  was  known  that  she 
wanted  to  go  to  school,  God  provided  helpful 
friends  for  her.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Mackey  gave 
her  a  room  in  their  own  house,  to  use  for  dress- 
making, and  while  Sister  Mackey  helped  her  much 
with  her  needle,  she  helped  her  more  with  her 
prayers,  sympathy,  and  her  godly  conversation. 
But  with  her  needle  she  found  it  slow  work  to  lay 
up  money  to  go  to  college.  Soon  Brother  Albert 
Lambert,  who  with  his  good  wafe  have  helped  so 
many  with  their  means  and  blessings,  believed  that 
with  a  little  assistance  Frankie  could  soon  under- 
stand bookkeeping  well  enough  to  keep  the  books  in 
his  warehouse.  She  did  so,  and  while  it  meant  bet- 
ter wages,  it  was  also  a  preparation  for  that  which 


Miss  Fkances  Williams. 


MEMOIRS    OF   OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  189 

afterward  made  her  so  valuable  to  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Association  as  business  manager  in 
Africa.  When  Brother  Lambert  built  their  new 
home,  one  nice  room  was  called  "Frankie's  room." 
To  it  she  came  during  her  vacations,  and  she  en- 
tered into  their  plans,  shared  their  joys  and  sor- 
rows, as  one  of  their  own  daughters.  When  Jesus 
comes,  these  friends  will  receive  rewards  as  those 
who  "did  it  unto  me."  From  there  she  went  to 
Otterbein  University,  where  by  great  economy, 
such  as  boarding  herself,  borrowing  books,  etc., 
with  gifts  of  clothing  from  friends  and  some  help 
from  the  church,  she  spent  three  years.  She  was 
very  appreciative,  and  always  worthy  of  the  con- 
fidence friends  had  in  her.  She  was  a  model  Chris- 
tian girl  in  school,  and  since,  when  mothers  there 
want  to  say  the  best  things  of  their  daughters,  they 
say,  "She  is  our  Frankie  Williams."  She  was  loyal 
to  Otterbein.  While  in  Africa  she  wrote  Mrs. 
West,  then  in  the  homeland,  "You  will  go  to  Otter- 
bein University,  dear  old  place !  That  to  me  is 
the  dearest  spot  on  earth,  outside  of  Africa." 

Later,  she  spent  two  years  in  the  Moody  Bible 
Training  School  for  Workers,  in  Chicago.  Here, 
in  connection  with  her  studies,  she  did  much  real 
missionary  work  among  the  Chinese,  the  colored 
people,  and  the  poor.  These  all  loved  her.  The 
Chinese  made  her  presents  of  their  painted  china 
and  beautiful  embroidery,  etc. 

Her  work  was  so  acceptable  that  other  churches 
made  her  good  offers  for  the  foreign  field,  which 
were  no  small  temptation  to  her,  when  she  was  so 
anxious  to  go,  and  her  own  church  so  long  getting 
ready  to  send  her.     It  was  only  her  loyalty  to  her 


100  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

cburcli  that  saved  her  to  it.  When  the  Board  of 
Managers  was  in  session  in  Harrisburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1S89,  she  felt  it  must  be  that  she  should 
be  sent  then,  for  she  had  expected  to  go  the  year  be- 
fore. She  gave  herself  one  whole  day  to  fasting 
and  prayer,  and  when  the  word  came  that  she  was 
to  go,  she  said,  '^I  am  so  glad  I'm  going  to  Africa." 
If  friends  tried  to  sympathize  with  her,  she  said 
so  joyfully,  "If  you  had  wanted  anything  all  your 
life,  would  you  be  sorry  when  you  got  it  ?" 

Her  consecration  service  with  that  of  Miss  Pat- 
terson, who  went  to  China,  was  held  in  First 
Church,  Dayton,  Ohio,  July  7,  1889.  Her  fare- 
well service  was  held  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church  at  Union  City,  Indiana,  October  3,  1889. 
Bev.  S.  W.  Keister,  her  former  pastor,  Bev.  S.  B. 
Ervin,  the  resident  pastor,  and  Bev.  W.  J.  Pruner, 
a  former  pastor  of  Miss  Groenendyke,  took  part  in 
these  services.  At  this  meeting  she  first  saw  Miss 
Groenendyke,  who  had  been  appointed  to  go  to 
Africa  with  her,  and,  of  course,  was  anxious  to  see 
first  what  she  would  look  like.  A  shadow  of  dis- 
appointment flashed  over  her  face,  for  that  day 
Miss  Groenendyke  was  not  prepossessing  in  ap- 
pearance. She,  that  afternoon,  had  separated  from 
her  friends  in  Indiana,  and  her  eyes  and  nose  were 
swollen  from  weeping.  But  Frankie  never  said 
a  word,  for  she  was  too  good  to  say  aught  against 
the  "Lord's  anointed,"  and  before  she  slept  that 
night  she  was  very,  very  glad  that  she  had  not,  for 
in  the  evening  meeting  Miss  Groenendyke's  first 
public  sentence,  so  strong,  representing  so  much 
character,  went  like  a  thunderbolt  through  the 
audience,  captivating  every  interested  heart.    From 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR   HEROIC   DEAD  191 

that  hour  Frankie  loved  her  most  dearly.  The 
next  ten  days  were  full  of  buying  and  packing,  re- 
ceiving calls  and  addressing  large  meetings  in 
Dayton,  Ohio.  Their  trunks  were  packed  in  the 
home  of  the  writer,  and  their  leave-taking  was  as 
happy  as  that  of  two  school-girls  off  for  a  vacation. 
How  could  we  be  sorry  when  they  were  so  glad  ? 
They  left  Dayton  on  the  morning  of  the  fourteenth 
and  sailed  on  the  Teutonic,  October  16,  1889,  at 
10 :  40  A.  M.^  and  these  were  the  parting  words : 
"We  are  afloat  at  last.  I  was  never  happier  in  my 
whole  life.  The  ISTinety-first  Psalm  comes  to  me 
o'er  and  o'er.     Ellen  Groenendyke." 

"We  are  cut  loose  from  America.  Boat  fine, 
morning  beautiful.  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  sal- 
vation. Praise  the  Lord.  We  are  happy  in  him, 
and  longing  to  be  in  Africa.  Amours  for  loving 
service  for  our  King.     Frankie  Williams." 

Arrived  in  Liverpool,  October  23.  Miss  Groen- 
endyke had  been  very  ill,  indeed  she  had  crossed 
the  Atlantic  without  seeing  it.  But  Frankie  writes : 
''Am  so  Avell  and  so  thankful.  Have  been  on  deck 
every  day."  On  board  she  became  quite  intimate 
with  a  Miss  Field,  who  was  returning  to  her  home 
in  London,  a  worker  among  the  poor  in  that  city, 
and  she  said :  "Whether  we  walk,  or  talk,  sit  and 
read  our  Bibles,  or  kneel  in  prayer,  we  find  our- 
selves drawing  near  our  Father  and  Friend.  That 
the  Master  has  given  me  such  deep  content  and  so 
great  joy,  greatly  surprises  me.  I  am  so  glad  we 
are  sailing  for  Africa."  Through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Mills  they  were  able  to  get  passage  on  the 
Sherhro,  which  sailed  October  26 ;  were  very 
much   crowded,   but   nothing   unusual  happened. 


192  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    I>EONE 

Miss  Groenendyke  said,  "Spent  the  time  in  read- 
ing, talking,  walking,  music,  eating,  and  sleeping 
in  larger  or  smaller  quantities."  ^tade  their  first 
landing  at  the  Grand  Canary,  November  2,  and  at 
Freetown,  November  12,  after  a  voyage  of  twen- 
ty-seven days  from  New  York.  AVerc  met  on  board 
the  vessel  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  West  and  George 
Keister.  Stayed  at  Freeto^vn  until  Thanksgiving 
Day,  Took  the  A.  L.  Billheimer  boat  for  Rotu- 
funk.  Mrs.  West  and  Miss  Groenendyke  were  very 
seasick,  but  Frankie  said :  "I  know  nothing  of  it 
but  by  observation,  and  I  am  satisfied  witli  tliat, 
and  when  I  consider  how  heartily  I  have  cnjoyod 
my  four  meals  each  day,  I  am  not  surprised  that  I 
have  gained  eight  pounds  in  six  weeks.  Reached 
Rotufunk  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  went  to 
bed,  after  greeting  the  boys  and  girls  who  were  all 
up  at  that  time  in  the  night  to  see  us,  but  arose 
early  the  next  morning  to  see  Rotufunk  by  day- 
light. I  walked  the  piazza  and  looked  at  the  Girls' 
Home,  the  Boys'  Home,  the  frame  for  the  new 
school-building.  I  could  not  keep  back  the  tears. 
[Mr.  West  said  she  shouted.]  My  heart  was 
filled  with  gratitude  to  God  for  hearing  my 
prayers  and  bringing  me  here.  In  all  my  dreams 
of  being  a  missionary  I  never  pictured  such  pleas- 
ant surroundings  as  I  find  here.  I  shall  be  so  glad 
when  I  may  take  my  Bible  and  go  from'  house  to 
house,  and  show  from  it  the  true  and  living  way 
to  the  lost.     /  am  so  happy  to  he  here." 

Her  description  of  her  first  Christmas  was  real, 
but  as  she  told  of  decorating  the  chapel  with 
bouquets,  palms,  and  ferns,  gathering  fresh  roses  to 
wear  with  their  white  dresses  to  the  services,  it 


MEMOIRS    OF   OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  193 

was,  to  US,  an  American  Children's  Day  rather  than 
Christmas.  Then  she  adds,  "This  was  the  busiest 
and  happiest  Christmas  of  my  life." 

During  the  Board  meeting  held  the  following 
May  in  the  Summit  Stfreet  United  Brethren 
Church,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  special  prayer  services 
were  held  by  the  missionaries  in  Africa  for  a  re- 
vival. Frankie  had  a  Sabbath-school  class  made 
up  of  policemen  and  traders,  in  whose  souls  she  was 
much  interested,  and  she  had  talked  to  the  traders 
plainly  on  the  temperance  question.  On  Saturday 
morning,  as  usual,  she  went  down  town  to  see  her 
flock.  She  saw  a  Mr.  Coker,  a  man  past  fifty, 
quite  intelligent  and  very  determined,  selling  rum 
from  his  piazza.  They  sat  down  together  and  had 
a  long  talk.  After  a  little  silence  he  called  his 
wife  to  get  a  man  to  bring  out  the  rum  and  gin. 
lie  had  two  demijohns  of  rum  and  twenty-four 
bottles  of  gin ;  he  ordered  them  carried  to  the 
stream,  and  he  himself  began  breaking  the  bottles, 
unsealing  the  demijohns,  and  pouring  out  the 
drink.  Such  a  thing  had  never  been  known  in  that 
part  of  Africa  before,  and  the  excitement  ran  high. 
The  people  begged  by  the  most  pitiful  gestures 
for  just  one  taste,  but  Frankie  appealed  to  the 
policemen  standing  by  to  see  that  the  order  was 
carried  out. 

This  is  from  her  diary:  "The  men  in  m^^  class 
were  dealing  in  slaves,  living  in  polygamy,  buying, 
selling,  and  drinking  rum ;  smoking,  chewing,  and 
trading  in  tobacco ;  but  from  the  first  they  seemed 
interested  in  the  Bible;  glad  to  have  me  talk  to 
them,  though  they  did  not  like  all  I  said.  But  I 
never  had  a  class  in  America  that  I  was  so  inter- 

13 


194  MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

ested  in.  I  prayed  for  them  every  day  and  visited 
them  ahnost  as  often.  The  burden  for  their  salva- 
tion grew  heavier  every  day.  On  Wednesday 
night  preceding  the  vSaturday  above  referred  to,  it 
seemed  as  if  I  shonkl  die  if  the  Lord  did  not  come 
soon  and  save  some  of  my  class  All  night  I 
wrestled  in  prayer,  and  as  I  wept,  I  felt  as  Jere- 
miah did  when  he  said,  'Oh  that  my  head  were 
waters,  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I 
might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the 
daughter  of  my  people  !'  Mr,  Coker  was  awayfrom 
home  that  night,  but  returned  on  Friday,  and  I 
hunted  him  up  and  gave  him  the  Word  of  God  on 
the  liquor  question.  Finally  he  said,  'Missus,  you 
convince  me.'  I  urged  him  to  act  at  once  on  his 
convictions ;  he  offered  excuses,  but  they  were  all 
met  b}'  the  Word  of  the  Lord.  At  last  he  agreed  to 
sell  no  more,  but  would  keep  what  he  had  and  give 
i1  to  his  landlord  and  others  with  whom  he  had  to 
deal.  Then,  'Woe  unto  him  that  giveth  his  neigh- 
bour drink'  was  quoted.  Then  he  said,  'Oh,  mis- 
sus, lef  the  matter  for  now.'  I  said,  'jSTow  is  the 
accepted  time.'  I  knew  God  was  in  our  midst 
and  his  Spirit  striving  with  him.  I  ceased  talk- 
ing and  prayed  silently  and  earnestly.  In  a 
moment  (it  seemed  many)  he  called  his  wife  to  get 
a  man  to  'pull'  the  rum  from  his  house  and  throw 
it  out.  One  look  at  Mr.  Coker  convinced  us  that 
he  was  glad,  and  I  said  we  ought  to  thank  God  for 
what  he  had  done.  We  knelt  doAvn  and  I  tried  to 
tell  the  Father  of  the  gratitude  that  filled  my  heart, 
but  no  words  could  express  it.  While  singing, 
'Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow,' 
Thomas  Ilallowell  came  up.     I  told  him  what  was 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  195 

done.  He  said,  'When  I  hear  it  my  hair  stand 
up.  I  shake  and  sweat.'  There  was  great  rejoic- 
ing in  the  mission  that  day,  and  I  wondered  who 
had  received  the  greater  blessing,  Mr.  Coker  or  I. 
Later  in  the  day  Thomas  visited  him  again  and 
said,  'Oh !  the  man  happy  for  true.  Ilis  face 
shines.  Plenty  people  come  to  his  house  and  he 
talk  to  all  of  them.'  The  next  day  he  came  to  our 
meeting  and  was  converted." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  greatest  revival 
Rotufunk  has  ever  seen.  It  lasted  four  weeks.  No 
accurate  account  of  the  number  of  conversions 
could  be  kept.  Many  persons  were  passing  through 
the  place,  who  went  on.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  West,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sage,  Miss  Groenendyke,  and  Miss  Wil- 
liams were  the  missionaries  there  at  that  time,  and 
all  w^rote  of  it  and  referred  to  it  again  and  again. 
Mrs,.  West  said,  ''The  very  air  seemed  charged  with 
the  Spirit.  Convictions  were  so  powerful  that 
men's  knees  knocked  together  so  hard  that  they 
could  hardly  walk  to  the  altar."  One  of  Frankie's 
class  said,  "For  a  long  time  I  have  had  a  bone  in  my 
heart,  but  now  it  hurts  me  harder  than  ever." 
Later,  when  asked,  "Does  Jesus  save  you  now," 
he  said  with  a  joyous  laugh,  "Yes ;  I  feel  here  that 
Jesus  pull  sickness  from  my  heart.  God  is  so 
sweet." 

It  was  during  this  meeting  that  Pa  Sourri,  the 
powerful  old  chief,  upwards  of  eighty  years  of  age, 
came  in  to  the  morning  meeting,  and  fell  headlong 
across  the  altar  so  heavily  that  it  seemed  as  if  his 
neck  must  be  broken.  He  had  had  an  all-night 
struggle  with  "two  persons,"  one  for  good,  the  other 
for  evil.     A  repetition  of  Saul  of  Tarsus.     He 


19G  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIEKRA    LEONE 

was  converted,  and  put  away  liis  many  wives,  ex- 
cept "Mammy  Mary."  He  died  in  1897,  and  told 
Dr.  Mary  Archer,  who  talked  with  him  about  his 
sonl,  that  he  was  trusting  in  Jesus,  and  God  would 
take  care  of  him  whether  he  lived  or  died.  He 
wanted  to  be  buried  from  the  church,  but  his 
heathen  friends  forbade  it.  Mr.  West  said  of  the 
revival,  "Last  week  Frankie  and  her  faithful  boys 
scored  a  wonderful  victory.  Two  old  men,  a  wife, 
daughter  and  granddaughter  came  to  Rotufunk  on 
business.  jSTot  one  of  them  had  ever  heard  a  word 
of  the  gospel.  Frankie  saw  them  and  talked  to 
them  about  salvation.  The  next  day  found  them 
earnestly  praying  for  themselves.  One  of  the 
w^omen  took  the  'sebbie'  from  her  neck  and  gave 
it  to  Frankie,  (there  had  been  nothing  said  to  her 
about  that)  who  told  her  to  keep  it  as  maybe  her 
heart  would  go  back  to  it  again.  She  said,  No ; 
for  though  it  had  cost  her  the  price  of  a  slave,  since 
she  had  Jesus  she  did  not  want  anything  else.  All 
five  were  clearly  converted  in  the  little  mud  hut 
down  town,  and  the  next  morning  at  prayer?  gave 
their  names  and  testimony  as  clear  as  one  could 
wish." 

Frankie  and  Miss  Groenendyke  went  to  Palli 
after  this  to  assist  Mr.  Johnson,  and  she  writes, 
"The  scene  was  indescribable.  Every  seat  in  the 
house  was  a  mourner's  bench,  and  every  soul,  ex- 
cept the  little  band  of  workers,  a  seeker.  Thirty- 
seven  were  converted  in  ten  days.  Oh,  that  we 
could  give  you  some  idea  of  the  condition  of  the 
people  here.  If  you  could  only  hear  the  testi- 
monies of  the  men  and  women  who  thank  the  God 
of  missions  for  sending  them  the  Word,  and  say  so 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  197 

pitifully  that  their  fathers  and  mothers  never 
heard  it,  and  beg  us  to  go  to  other  towns  and  tell 
all  their  people.  It  is  work  we  cannot  do  that  kills 
us  faster  than  that  we  do.  But  perhaps  some  of  the 
dear  friends  wonder  whether  \ve  girls  have  been 
homesick  since  we  came  to  Africa.  I  want  to  tell 
you  no !  no !  never  for  one  moment.  Dear  as  my 
friends,  home,  and  native  land  are  to  me,  it  would 
be  harder  to  leave  the  work  of  my  Master  and  King 
here  than  it  was  to  leave  home  ten  months  ago. 
The  blessed  peace  that  Christ  has  given  me  ever 
since  the  night  he  saved  me  has  never  been  so  deep 
and  sweet  as  to-day,  and  I  should  like  to  write 
three  columns  of  praise  to  God  for  his  wonderful 
works  and  words  and  ways.  But  I  haven't  the 
space,  so  I  think  I  shall  ask  you  all  to  join  us  in 
singing  the  doxology,  and  I  shall  say.  Amen." 

January  25,  1891,  during  the  session  of  the 
West  African  Conference,  Frankie,  with  Miss 
Groenendyke,  Mrs.  West,  Mr.  S.  F.  Morrison,  and 
Jacob  Miller,  Jr.,  were  ordained  by  Bishop  Kep- 
hart.  After  this  she  administered  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, preached,  and  baptized.  In  a  private  letter  to 
Mrs.  Dora  Lambert  she  says,  "Last  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, at  the  close  of  the  service,  two  men  came  for- 
ward for  baptism.  It  was  my  duty  to  furnish  them 
Christian  names.  As  I  stood  for  a  moment  my 
mind  flew  like  lightning  back  to  my  home  church, 
and  I  thought  of  two  of  the  best  men  I  ever  knew, 
my  first  pastor  and  my  class-leader,  and  I  gave  the 
men  the  names  Samuel  Keister  and  Albert  Lam- 
bert." 

iSTeed  I  say  that  the  mat  upon  which  she  then 
stood,  and  which  was  given  by  Mrs.  West  to  Rev, 


198  MISSION    WOKK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

S.  W.  Keister  and  family  after  her  death,  is 
greatly  prized  ?  During  Brother  Miller's  stay  in 
Africa  she  was  made  business  manager,  and  kept 
the  books  of  the  mission.  This  was  a  sore  disap- 
pointment to  her,  fpr  all  her  plans  were  how  she 
might  give  more  time  to  visitation  among  the 
Mohammedans  there.  One  day  she  noticed  how 
much  time  it  took  to  comb  her  hair,  and  said: 
^'That  would  be  an  hour  more  every  week.  I  '11 
have  it  cut,  and  have  that  much  more  for  my 
Mohammedans.  I  shall  let  it  grow  again  be- 
fore father  sees  me."  Her  knowledge  of  the 
Scriptures  and  skill  in  handling  the  Sword  of  the 
Spirit  made  her  very  successful  among  that  class 
of  persons.  Later  she  writes,  "I  submit,  and  hope 
my  bookkeeping  time  may  be  to  me  as  Moses' 
sheep-keeping  time  was  to  him."  She  was  much 
cheered  by  the  coming  of  <^he  trio  of  girls  in  the 
fall  of  1891,  and  welcomed  them  because  of  their 
ability  and  Rotufunk's  need.  Her  love  for  the 
people  never  flagged  and  her  letters  ended  with 
"Yours  for  service  in  Africa."  Then,  when  we 
thought  all  was  well,  like  a  clap  of  thunder  from 
a  clear  sky,  the  cablegram:  "Frankie  is  dead. 
Miller.     Rotufunk." 

An  editoi  ial  in  the  Wonians  Evangel  said,  "Her 
joy  in  her  work  was  boundless,  and  the  good  she 
has  done  can  never  be  sunnned  up  by  mortal,  and 
we  wept  and  waited  to  know  more,  yea,  all  we 
could  know  of  the  lart  he  Lirs  of  our  precious  one, 
who  headed  the  list  of  those  who  laid  down  their 
lives  for  Africa  in  Africa."  From  her  last  letter 
we  have  this,  "T  shall  be  so  glad  when  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
West  return,  that  I  may  go  back  to  my  former 
work." 


MEMOIKS    OF   OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  199 

"July  9.  I  could  not  have  better  health  any- 
where than  I  am  having  here.  If  our  Lord  tarries, 
it  seems  to  me  the  last  year  of  my  first  term  will  be 
the  best.  I  do  not  like  to  think  that  in  autumn  of 
next  year  my  first  term  will  be  up.  I  rejoice  more 
and  more  in  him  and  feel  that  his  loving  kind- 
ness is  better  than  life.  Ah !  it  is  sweet  to  toil  for 
Jesus  anywhere,  but  I  think  there  is  no  place  where 
work  is  so  fascinating  as  here." 

The  letters  describing  her  sickness,  death,  and 
burial,  are  from  Miss  Bittle,  Doctor  Hatfield,  and 
Miss  Groenendyke.     "Frankie  had  always  been  so 
well,  that  we   thought   her   fever-proof.     Full   of 
plans    for   the    Master's  work,    losii:g   no    oppor- 
tunities for  giving  the  Word  of  life  to  the  people, 
she  went  about  her  duties   as  usual  up  to   within  a 
few  hours  of    her  departure.     Saturday    evening 
she  was  weighed,  and  her  weight  was  107  pounds. 
It  pleased  her  to  think  she  weighed  two  pounds 
more    than    Doctor    Hatfield.     Sabbath    morning 
at  breakfast  she  did  not  look  well,  but  said,  'I  am 
only   tired.'     She    had    held    the    early    morning 
meeting  and  had  gone  down-to^vn  to  talk  to  the  peo- 
ple before  this.     She  attended  the  eleven  o'clock 
service,  but  stayed  in  the  chapel  with  Miss  Bittle 
until  Sabbath  school  at  1 :  30.     Taught  her  class, 
and  at  dinner  said  she  felt  as  well  as  usual,  and 
thought  she  would  attend  the  evening  service.   But 
after  the  last  bell  had  rung,  the  doctor  was  sur- 
prised to  find  her  standing  on  the  piazza,  and  took 
her  to  her  room  and  gave  her  quinine.      She  had 
no  fever.     ISText  morning  she  said  she  felt  'tip- 
top,'  and  went  to  the  office  and  wrote  all  day, 
mostly  business  letters ;  the  doctor  did  not  see  her 


200  MISSION   WORK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

until  four  o'clock.  Said  she  had  no  fever.  But 
when  the  doctor  took  her  temperature  it  was  103.8 
degrees.  She  said,  'Miss  Williams,  you  must  go 
to  bed  at  once.'  Frankie  said,  'Before  dinner  ? 
Why,  I  'm  hungry,  and  haven't  an  ache  or  pain.' 
She  laughed  and  joked  -while  Miss  Schenck  and  the 
doctor  put  her  to  bed  in  Miss  Schenck's  room. 
They  told  her  now  to  keep  quiet.  She  smiled 
sweetly  and  said,  'All  right;  if  you  think  best.' 
At  dinner  she  did  not  care  for  anything  to  eat ;  at 
eight  o'clock  had  vomited,  was  quieter  at  eleven, 
but  at  1  A.  M.  she  show^ed  alarming  s}^nptoms, 
and  the  doctor  knew  if  these  could  not  be  checked, 
the  case  was  hopeless.  She  and  Miss  Schenck 
worked  with  her  until  two.  She  was  conscious 
up  to  this  time,  but  said  little,  as  they  wished 
her  to  be  quiet.  By  three  o'clock  the  doctor 
knew  it  was  pernicious  malarial  fever,  of  the 
worst  form  imaginable,  and  medicine  had  failed  to 
do  its  work.  At  6  a.  m.  on  Tuesday  she  said  to 
the  missionaries  that,  unless  a  change  for  better 
came  soon,  she  would  not  be  wath  them  long.  All 
Avork  was  stopped  and  all  was  done  that  could  be 
done  for  her.  After  8  a.  m.  she  was  delirious 
and  called  Miss  Groenendyke,  'Jennie'  (the  name 
of  her  stepsister).  In  the  afternoon  the  mission- 
aries, with  George  Keister  and  Thomas  Hallowell, 
gathered  in  the  doctor's  room,  and  prayed  for  her. 
They  felt  comforted  and  took  it  to  mean  her  re- 
covery, but  it  w^as  only  strength  for  the  terril»le 
blow  that  was  to  follow.  At  8  p.  m.  on  Tues- 
day, July  19,  1892,  after  a  few  tossings  in  her 
bed,  she  quietly  passed  away,  to  be  'forever  with 
the  Lord.'     As  we  knelt  around  the  bed  we  felt 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  201 

it  was  the  Father's  will.  In  her  delirium  she  would 
say,  'I  do  not  want  to  be  out  of  employment/  and 
so  it  was  'only  one  day  with  nothing  to  do,  and 
even  then  doing  a  great  work  on  the  hearts  of  all 
who  saw  her.'  " 

Miss  Groenendyke  wrote  to  her  father,  "I  chose 
her  prettiest  clothing  when  we  dressed  her  for  the 
tomb,  a  pretty  plaid  lawn  that  had  come  in  her 
box,  with  white  ribbon  for  the  waist  and  neck.  The 
carpenters  made  her  coffin  and  we  covered  it  with 
white  muslin  and  trimmed  it  with  swiss.  A  crown 
of  trailing  ferns,  dotted  with  white  flowers  gath- 
ered by  the  boys,  decorated  the  lid.  Her  funeral 
was  preached  the  next  day  at  noon,  in  the  chapel, 
by  Brother  Miller,  from  Ileb.  13:14,  Tor  here 
have  we  no  continuing  city,  but  we  seek  one  to 
come.'  The  songs  sung  were,  'Home  of  the  Soul,' 
'Blessed  Assurance,'  and  'Sweet  By-and-By.' 
She  was  buried  near  the  chapel,  and  her  grave 
filled  by  her  Sabbath-school  class  and  the  boatmen 
with  whom  she  was  so  well  acquainted.  Her  age 
was  thirty-two  years,  two  months,  and  twenty  days. 
Heaven  is  nearer  and  more  real  now  to  us  since 
she  is  there.  We  think  if  she  could  have  chosen  a 
place  to  die  it  would  have  been  just  where  it  was. 
For  if  it  "*^'as  to  her  such  a  blessed  place"  to  live, 
it  certainly  would  have  been  her  wish  to  die  among 
the  people  for  whom  she  had  lived." 

What  nr-\st  have  been  her  joy,  when  the  next 
month  El  IT  I  a  Bittle  came  from  the  same  place  to 
join  her.  They  were  dear  friends,  and  among  the 
last  things  was  a  conversation  between  the  girls 
about  Otterbein  University;  when  the  doctor  said, 
"Girls,  you  must  go  to  bed  now,"  Frankie  started 


202  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

away  laughing,  and  said,  "When  we  get  to  heaven 
we  will  talk  all  we  want  to  about  the  dear  old 
place."  Two  months  later,  from  Shaingay,  Brother 
Gomer,  whom  she  loved,  came  to  the  heavenly  com- 
pany, and  two  years  afterwards  Brother  West, 
whose  ideal  missionary.  Christian  worker,  and  in 
fact  everything,  she  was,  and  he  who  once  shouted 
as  together  they  sang, 

"Then  sweeping  up  to  glory,  to  see  His  blessed  face, 
Where  rivers  of  delight  shall  ever  roll," 

as  they  were  going  from  the  river  up  to  the  mission 
house. 

And  now,  nearly  six  years  later,  from  the  same 
field,  and  in  sight  of  the  same  place,  comes  her 
dear  Doctor  Hatfield  and  Miss  Schenck,  who 
watched  with  her  all  of  the  last  night  of  her  earth 
life,  with  their  martyrs'  crowns  upon  their  heads. 
And  the  other  five  whom  she  never  knew  here,  but 
to  whom  she  needed  no  introduction  there. 

To  us  this  young  life  ended  all  too  soon,  but  to 
Him  who  measures  our  lives  by  deeds,  not  years, 
it  was  enough,  and  she  was  called  "up  higher." 
But  as  she  had  not  lived  in  vain,  so  her  death  was 
not  in  vain,  and  as  this  imperfect  sketch  of  her  life 
is  given  to  the  public,  may  a  double  portion  of  her 
cheerfulness,  her  happiness,  and  her  willingness  to 
be  used  in  "joyful  service  for  her  King"  be  the 
inheritance  of  every  reader,  for  his  name's  sake. 

•*  Oh,  how  sweet  it  Mill  be  in  that  beautiful  land, 
So  free  from  all  sorrow  and  pain. 
With  songs  ou  our  lips,  and  with  hai-ps  in  our  hands, 
To  naeet  one  another  again." 


MEMOIflS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  203 

Elma  Bittle. 

BY  MARY  BITTIiE. 

On  J^ovember  18,  1863,  Elma  Bittle  came  to 
gladden  the  home  of  George  and  Martha  Bittle, 
near  Lewisburg,  Ohio.  While  a  mere  child  she 
became  her  father's  constant  companion.  Many 
acres  of  land  were  plowed,  the  father  holding  the 
plow  and  the  child  the  plow-line.  She  became 
extremely  fond  of  nature  and  early  evinced  a 
strong  affection  for  all  dumb  animals,  her  first 
playmate  being  her  dog.  Rover. 

When  very  young  she  learned  to  read,  and  her 
few  books  made  deep  impressions  on  her  mind. 
One  of  her  teachers  has  said,  "No  reprimands 
were  given  her,  for  she  always  prepared  her  lessons 
as  one  much  older  than  she  would  prepare  them." 
She  loved  the  poets,  Whittier  being  one  of  her 
favorites.  She  pored  over  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin" 
until  she  knew  it  from  cover  to  cover,  this  book 
making  a  lasting  impression  upon  her  young  mind, 
and  doubtless  first  turned  her  thoughts  toward 
Africa.  One  of  Whittier's  poems,  "A  Sabbath 
Scene,"  also  influenced  her,  that  poem  being  the 
only  committed  article  she  was  willing  to  give  in 
public,  as  she  always  disliked  public  speaking. 

She  loved  to  please  and  instruct,  and  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  she  taught  her  first  school.  Moved  by 
her  determination  to  be  equal  to  her  ideal  of  the 
true  teacher,  she  spared  no  pains  nor  efforts  to  at- 
tain excellence  in  her  vocation.  In  September, 
1884,  she  began  teaching  in  the  intermediate  room 
of  the  Lewisburg  school.  Prayerfully  and  ear- 
nestly she  filled  this  place  for  four  years,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  she  yielded  to  a  strong  desire 


204  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

to  attend  college,  and  better  fit  herself  for  her  life- 
work. 

From  1888  to  the  fall  of  1890  she  attended 
Otterbein  University,  where  under  the  leadership 
of  the  noted  Robert  E.  Speer,  she  offered  herself 
to  the  volunteer  band.  When  yet  a  child  she  ex- 
pressed her  desire  to  be  a  missionary,  India  being 
her  chosen  field.  She  desired  to  especially  fit  her- 
self for  foreign  work. 

She  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1890  to  go  to  West 
Elkton,  Preble  County,  Ohio,  as  primary  teacher  in 
the  graded  school.  So  forcible  were  her  impres- 
sions to  follow  at  once  the  call  of  her  Master  that 
she  resigned  her  position  at  this  place  and  entered 
the  Master's  vineyard  in  a  foreign  land. 

The  oldest  child  of  the  family,  she  was  ever  the 
counselor  and  the  inspiration  of  her  younger 
brothers  and  sisters,  their  true,  brave  leader. 

"  I  gave  My  life  for  thee, 
What  hast  thou  given  for  me  ?  " 

She  enlisted  while  a  delegate  to  the  Woman's 
Missionary  Board,  which  convened  at  Decatur, 
Illinois.  From  Decatur  she  wrote  her  sister  Mary 
thus :  "While  I  feel  that  I  should  like  to  better  pre- 
])are  myself  for  foreign  work,  I  know  this  is  an 
opportunity,  and  I  must  go."  A  few  days  after  her 
decision,  she  was  offered  a  position  as  teacher  in 
the  Industrial  School  for  Boys,  at  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  but  this  was  pushed  aside,  for  her  duty  she 
felt  lay  in  foreign  fields. 

Seeing  that  her  soul  was  in  the  going,  her  people 
said  no  word  of  discouragement  to  her,  and  cheer- 
fully prepared  for  her  departure,  which  occurred 


Miss  Elma  IJitti.e. 


MEMOIRS    OF   OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  205 

at  half,  past  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sep- 
tember 8,  1891. 

A  sojourn  of  two  weeks  through  the  east  was 
planned  for,  and  at  every  resting-place  a  letter  of 
good  cheer  was  received  by  the  family  from  Elma. 
She  wrote,  "Try  to  be  glad  and  happy."  She  gave 
a  graphic  description  of  the  route  to  New  York 
City  and  a  long  letter  describing  that  city.  From 
the  vessel  she  writes ; 

"Steamship,  City  of  Chicago, 

"September  23,  1891. 
"Dear  Folks  :— 

"We  are  off  at  last  and  are  now  rounding  Sandy 
Hook.  The  pilot  soon  leaves  us  to  ourselves,  and 
then  we  shall  be  altogether  cut  loose  from  Ameri- 
can shores.  The  land  will  soon  fade  from  view, 
and  yet  I  am  not  in  the  least  homesick  or  sad.  We 
shall  be  separated  by  a  few  miles  only. 

"The  water  looks  lovely  and  I  feel  well  so  far — 
only  about  an  hour  out  of  the  harbor  as  yet.  Won- 
der how  I  shall  feel  to-morrow  by  this  time  ?  Will 
keep  you  informed  as  to  my  condition.  We  have 
met  Miss  Benedict  and  like  her. 

"Good-by,  with  love, 

"Elma." 

A  letter  was  written  on  board  the  vessel  and 
mailed  from  Queenstown ;  another  was  written  in 
Liverpool,  describing  life  as  she  saw  it  there,  and 
also  containing  a  complete  description  of  Chester, 
England.  A  long  letter  was  received  from  Madeira 
Islands,  and  another  when  the  final  landing  was 
made  at  Freetown. 


206  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Extract  from  letter,  November  9,  1891 : 
"RoTUFUNK^  West  Africa. 

"Last  night  I  had  just  got  settled  in  my  bed, 
when  I  heard  a  slight  rustling  under  my  pillow,  I 
listened  and  heard  it  again,  more  distinctly  by  that 
time.  I  concluded  to  arise  hastily  and  investigate. 
Upon  lighting  my  lamp  I  found  a  lizard's  slender 
appendage  protruding  from  between  my  pillows. 
I  soon  got  quite  out  of  bed  and  called  to  Mrs.  Mil- 
ler, asking  what  I  should  do  to  get  rid  of  it.  She 
came  up  armed  with  an  umbrella  and  tried  to  kill 
it,  but  it  ran  under  a  box  and  got  away.  Xow  I 
carefully  examine  my  bed,  for  the  harmless  little 
creatures  are  not  quite  as  innocent  looking  to  me 
as  they  will  be  by  and  by.  A  piece  of  coal  that  I 
have  is  a  great  curiosity  to  the  boys ;  each  one  of 
them  takes  it  up  and  smells  of  it  almost  the  first 
thing.  My  long  hair  also  surprises  them,  the 
women,  especially. 

"For  the  past  two  Sundays  we  have  had  110  and 
111  respectively  at  Sunday  school,  and  that  with 
all  the  rest  gone.  We  always  go  out  to  invite  the 
people  in.  I  enjoy  it  very  much.  One  woman 
whom  I  invited  so  many  times  and  who  did  not 
come,  I  told  yesterday  I  would  not  ask  her  to  come, 
that  she  did  not  toll  me  'true  word'  when  I  did 
ask  her,  so  I  would  not  say  anj^thing  more  to  her. 
To  my  surprise  she  came  to  Sunday  school.  A  cer- 
tain man  had  promised  me  over  and  over  to  come, 
and  failed  to  do  so,  so  when  he  said  yesterday  he 
would  come,  one  of  the  boys  who  was  along  said  his 
eyes  said  he  would  not  come,  but  he  did,  and  he 
was  at  prayers,  too,  this  morning. 


MEMOIRS   OF   OUR   HEROIC   DEAD  207 

''These  people  are  not  at  all  slow  to  learn,  and 
they  are  slyer  than  any  one  I  have  had  to  do  with 
at  home.  Once  learn  them,  and  you  will  not  find 
it  hard  to  control  them  and  head  them  off. 

"The  people  use  the  term  'mammy'  as  a  term  of 
respect,  so  I  often  receive  that  name.  The  boys 
say  I  'get  sharp  eye,'  and  Jonathan  says  he  'no 
like  how  I  can  look,'  and  that  I  am  able  to  see 
everything  that  goes  on  in  the  schoolroom  without 
taking  my  eyes  from  my  book.  Pie  says  that 
'Mammy  sabba  fos  teach  school,  but  please  ma 
make  you  no  look  me,'  they  all  hate  to  be  'looked 
with  a  bad  eye.' 

"We  get  on  'tip-top'  at  school  and  I  think  we 
are  the  best  of  friends,  even  if  they  do  not  fancy 
my  'looking.' 

"Daddy  Queen,  of  whom  you  read  in  the  Evan- 
geljWorks  a  great  deal  in  our  wood-house  and  at  the 
well,  so  I  see  considerable  of  him.  He  has  taught 
me  some  Mendi  expressions,  and  you  ought  to  see 
his  old  face  light  up  when  I  say  them  to  him.  He 
says,  'You  tell  um  plain.'  I  always  say,  'How  do' 
to  him  in  Mendi. 

"July  5.  The  rain  is  pattering  down  in  good 
earnest.  As  it  falls  upon  the  tin  roof  of  the  west 
piazza  it  sounds  like  it  used  to  when  we  lived  in 
the  old  house,  and  the  rain  dripped  down  at  the 
west  door.  I  am  as  cosy  as  can  be  in  my  snug, 
tidy  little  room,  with  these  memories  of  home 
about  me.  This  year  I  won't  hear  the  click  of  the 
mowers  and  reapers  foi'  the  first  time  in  my  life. 
On  the  Fourth  I  wondered  if  you  were  not  cutting 
the  wheat. 

"Mr.  Miller  is  still  in  bed,  but  better.     Baker  is 


208  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

better,  but  Miss  Hatfield  is  down  this  morning  witli 
one  hundred  and  two  degrees.  So  it  goes.  I  am 
not  afraid  of  this  fever  any  more." 

This  letter  was  received  one  week  after  the  news 
of  her  death  reached  America — the  last  she  wrote : 

''RoTUFUNK^  West  Afeica, 

''July  22,  1892. 
"My  dear  Folks : — 

"1  am  only  going  to  write  you  a  short  letter, 
since  it  is  expected  that  we  can  send  mail  in  a  few 
weeks  again,  and  there  is  so  much  writing  to  do  to 
other  parties  between  this  and  ]\Ionday,  when  the 
messenger  goes.  I  expected  to  write  to-day,  but 
liad  taken  some  calomel,  which  usually  'lays  one  up' 
for  a  day,  so  I  did  not  write  until  this  evening.  My 
throat  has  been  in  an  irritated  condition  for  a  week 
or  two,  just  as  it  has  been  so  many  times  in  my  life. 
I  am  amused  greatly  at  Mrs.  Miller,  who  insists 
upon  being  alarmed  at  my  horrid  snoring.  She 
is  afraid  I  '11  choke,  and  when  I  laugh  she  looks 
rather  incredulous  as  though  I  hardly  kneM^  Miss 
Hatfield  is  swabbing  my  throat  and  it  is  much 
better.  I  do  not  find  it  more  troublesome  here  than 
at  home.  Aside  from  the  little  sore  throat,  which 
only  hurts  when  I  swallow,  I  am  still  quite  well. 
This  rainy  weather  is  much  more  trying  upon  one, 
of  course,  than  the  dry  season.  Mr.  Miller  has  had 
an  attack  of  fever,  so  has  Doctor  Hatfield,  in  the 
last  two  weeks,  but  both  are  well  again.  They  wen? 
not  very  bad,  that  is,  it  was  not  serious.  I  also  had 
an  elevation  of  one  hundred  and  one  and  a  half 
degrees  last  week,  one  night,  but  got  up  the  next 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  209 

moi'uing  and  went  to  work,  apparently  none  the 
worse  for  it.  I  seem  to  recover  more  quickly  than 
the  others  from  fever.  I  believe  I  am  over  the 
notion  of  having  the  fever  at  all,  for  I  am  con- 
vinced that  we  are  better  for  an  attack  now  and 
then.  Mr.  Miller  has  had  no  fever  since  soon  after 
Christmas,  but  see  how  affected  he  was  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  first  year.  Quinine  is  next  to 
bread,  the  staff  of  life,  for  missionaries  in  Africa. 

"We  have  decided,  with  the  advice  of  the  doctor, 
that  ten  to  fifteen  grains  of  quinine  are  necessary 
for  us  weekly.  When  I  feel  malaria  I  take  quinine 
until  my  head  'buzzes,'  then  I  stop  until  next 
time.  I  am  afraid  you  will  get  tired  of  this  old 
story,  but  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  am  con- 
scientiously careful,  and  I  shall  even  be  more  care- 
ful from  this  time  on. 

"I  presume  that  the  telegram  which  was  sent  the 
Board  this  week  has  already  been  given  out  to  the 
people,  and  that  you  already  know  that  our  num- 
ber has  been  lessened  by  death.  Miss  Williams 
left  us  on  last  Tuesday  evening  at  eight  o'clock, 
the  first  United  Brethren  missionary  to  go  to 
heaven  from  Africa. 

"We  have  had  a  hard  stroke,  such  as  you  can 
only  partly  understand  from  across  the  water.  One 
year  ago  such  a  sorrow  would  almost  have  crushed 
me,  but  my  coming  to,  and  my  stay  in,  Africa  has 
taught  me  such  lessons  that  to-day  I  can  "^sing 
above  the  battle  strife.'  I  think  this  is  the  hardest 
stroke  of  my  life,  even  leaving  you  all  as  I  did  last 
year  was  not  like  this ;  you  w^ere  all  alive  and  there 
were  hopes  that  we  should  meet  again,  but  when 
you  have  once  lived  as  we  have  here,  a  little  com- 

14 


210  MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

nninity  within  ourselves,  no  other  source  upon 
whicli  to  draw  for  sympathy  or  direction  in  work, 
wlicre  one  must  be  mind,  heart,  and  conscience  for 
the  people  with  whom  we  labor,  then  you  can 
understand  what  it  is  to  have  one  of  our  little  body 
die, 

"Frankie  had  always  been  so  well  and  so  free 
from  malarial  disturbances  that  we  all  with  her 
considered  her  health  most  remarkable.  -She  was 
always  so  active  and  full  of  life,  ready  for  every 
meeting,  and  did  so  much  work.  She  was  superin- 
tendent since  November  last,  and  had  a  greater  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  her  than  any  one  realized 
until  now.  The  boys  were  her  care  also,  and 
thirty-two  African  boys  to  manage  and  plan  for, 
means  more  than  you  can  ever  know  in  America. 
She  was  always  the  same  happy,  cheerful,  hopeful 
person  at  all  times. 

"We  were  together  a  great  deal,  and  talked  very 
confidentially  to  each  other  on  many  matters.  It 
was  a  kind  of  standing  joke  among  the  mission- 
aries that  she  and  I  never  got  through  talking.  One 
day  when  some  one  laughed  at  us,  she  said,  'Well, 
never  mind  ;  when  we  get  to  heaven  we  '11  have 
time  to  finish  our  talk.      Won't  we  talk  then  V 

''On  Saturday  afternoon  I  went  over  to  talk  with 
her,  and  stayed  almost  the  entire  afternoon.  She 
read  me  a  letter  she  had  written  to  Mrs.  Keister 
and  together  we  corrected  it.  On  Sunday  we 
stayed  at  the  chapel  between  the  church  service 
and  Sunday  school.  In  the  evening  I  went  over  to 
slf>y  with  Baker,  who  was  not  yet  well  enough  to 
go  out  to  church,  and  T  was  surprised  to  see  Miss 
Williams  at  home.     At  the  dinner  table   she   and 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUK    IIEKOIC    DEAD  211 

Mrs.  Vercoe,  with  Doctor  Hatfield,  had  gotten  into 
a  discussion  over  me — an  old  joke  it  was — and 
when  I  appeared  on  the  scene  they  started  up 
again.  We  all  laughed  very  heartily  over  the 
foolish  remarks  that  were  exchanged  among  us, 
then  separated.  The  mail  came  the  same  evening 
with  our  letters. 

"On  Monday  morning,  while  I  was  making  my 
bed,  I  saw  Miss  Williams  coming  over  to  our  house, 
running  part  of  the  way,  and  singing,  as  she 
usually  did.  I  heard  her  come  into  the  house, 
speak  a  few  words  to  Mr.  Miller,  and  before  I 
knew  it  she  was  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  calling 
out  to  me  in  her  cheery  tones.  She  sat  do^vn  near 
me  and  we  talked  quite  a  while ;  then  together  we 
went  down-stairs,  where  she  read  several  letters  to 
Mrs.  Miller.  I  left  the  room,  and  ^yhen  I  came 
back  she  was  gone,  but  I  went  out  on  the  piazza 
and  hollowed  good-by  after  her.  She  said  I  must 
remember  this  was  the  evening  to  talk,  and 
laughed. 

''In  the  evening  after  I  came  home  from  school 
the  girls  said  that  Miss  Hatfield  told  them  Miss 
Williams  could  not  go  to  Young  People's  Christian 
Endeavor  meeting;  that  meeting  we  managed  to- 
gether. On  the  way  to  the  meeting  Miss  Schenck 
called  to  me,  as  we  passed  the  mission-house,  and 
said,  'Do  you  know  Miss  Williams  is  sick  V  I 
said,  'Yes ;  I  wonder  if  I  had  better  come  in  to  see 
her  V  She  said  she  hardly  thought  the  doctor 
would  agree  to  let  me  in.  I  knew  both  of  us  would 
want  to  talk  too  mueli  and  so  passed  on.  After  the 
meeting  I  stopped  again,  hoping  to  see  her,  but 
Doctor  Hatfield  said  I  had  better  not  go  in  for  she 


212  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

was  pretty  sick.  But  1  forgot  to  tell  you  she  hatl 
been  at  work  all  day  on  Monday,  and  did  not  want 
to  go  to  bed  even  when  she  did.  Doctor  Hatfield 
saw  that  she  looked  bad  when  she  came  home  from 
school,  and  asked  her  if  she  felt  well ;  she  said  she 
was  tired  only,  and  did  not  think  she  had  fever. 
Miss  Hatfield  fonnd  her  pnlse  very  fast,  and  upon 
taking  her  tenqjerature  found  it  above  one  hundred 
and  three  degrees.  She  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
stay  up  until  after  dinner,  but  the  doctor  said 
*No;  she  must  not.' 

''Very  reluctantly  she  went  to  bed,  but  in  a  short 
time  she  grew  sick  indeed.  On  Tuesday  morning 
early  I  had  to  go  to  the  schoolhouse,  and  again 
I  stopped  to  inquire  about  her.  Miss  Groenendyke 
said,  'Well,  she  is  the  sickest  person  we  have  had 
in  this  mission  for  two  years,  except  Mrs.  Miller. 
She  vomited  all  night  long  and  cannot  retain  any 
medicine,  either  by  taking  it  into  the  stomach  or 
by  injection     ISTothing  seems  to  afi^ect  her.' 

"About  nine  o'clock  Miss  Groenendyke  sent  me 
a  note,  saying  there  could  be  no  school,  and  that  I 
must  get  ready  for  the  night  watch,  also  that  from 
the  human  standpoint  there  was  but  little  hope. 
I  went  over  to  inquire  further  and  found  them  all 
in  tears,  but  trying  to  work  against  hope.  Miss 
Hatfield  said,  'She  looks  death-stricken ;  her  pulse 
is  140,  and  everything  I  can  do  seems  to  be  of  no 
avail.  But  I  shall  try  as  long  and  as  hard  as  T 
can.     Oh,  this  is  hard  !' 

"I  could  do  nothing  but  go  home  and  get  ready 
for  the  night.  You  can  imagine  with  what  a  sore 
and  heavy  heart  T  went.  About  2  p.  m.  Miss 
Groenendyke  telephoned  for  us  to  come.    "We  found 


MEMOIRS   OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  21S 

her  much  worse  and  ahuost  wholly  unconscious. 
Occasionally  she  opened  her  eyes  and  said  a  Avord 
or  two,  but  I  do  not  think  she  recognized  any  of 
us.  Two  or  three  times  I  succeeded  in  getting  her 
to  open  her  mouth  to  take  medicine,  by  calling  her 
by  her  first  name — we  always  addressed  each  otiie]- 
thus  when  talking  alone.  Two,  and  part  of  the 
time  three,  were  needed  to  keep  her  covered  and 
in  bed.  Her  vomiting  ceased  and  she  retained  the 
medicine  by  injections.  But  the  'black  vomit' 
had  appeared.  The  doctor  watched  her  while  the 
remaining  ones,  with  Thomas  Hallowell  and 
George  Keister,  gathered  in  a  little  prayer-meeting 
to  pray  the  Lord  to  spare  her  if  it  were  his  will. 

''We  all  felt  so  relieved  after  that,  and  while  I 
interpreted  my  feelings  to  mean  that  she  would  re- 
cover, yet  I  was  not  certain,  but  I  felt  that  if  the 
worst  came  I  was  better  able  to  bear  it. 

"Miss  Groenendyke  and  I  watched  with  her  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  after  2  p.  m.,  although 
the  doctor  and  Miss  Schenck  were  in  and  out 
assisting  and  taking  turns  with  us,  the  doctor 
especially,  being  the  anxious,  careful,  never-tiring 
watcher. 

"Miss  Williams'  fever  was  the  pernicious  type 
of  malarial  fever,  often  mistaken  for  yellow  fever, 
and  while  the  matter  vomited  was  black,  yet  it  was 
not  the  real  black  vomit  of  yellow  fever. 

"Sometime  after  7  p.  m.  Mr.  Miller  came  in 
and  said  to  me,  'You  had  better  go  and  rest  awhile 
and  let  me  watch.'  I  went  into  Miss  Hatfield's 
room  and  threw  myself  upon  the  bed.  Soon  she 
came  in,  and  we  lay  talking  in  the  dark.  When  she 
left  me  to  go  and  take  Frankie's  temperature,  I 


214  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIEKKA    LEONE 

turned  over,  thinking  to  sleep  a  little.  I  was  just 
dozing  when  Miss  Hatfield  called,  'Miss  Bittle, 
you  'd  better  come.'  In  a  moment  I  was  in  the 
room  where  the  sufferer  lay.  A  few  long  breaths, 
a  few  gasps,  and  only  the  tenement  of  clay  was  left 
to  us. 

"As  I  looked  I  thought,  'This  is  the  end  of 
earth.'  ']\ty  ways  are  not  your  ways,'  for  we  would 
not  have  had  it  so. 

"There  were  quite  a  number  in  the  room.  Mr. 
Miller  and  Miss  Groenendyke  thought  it  could  not 
be  that  she  was  gone.  Doctor  Hatfield,  with  a 
heart  full  of  aching  and  grief,  went  from  one  to 
the  other,  comforting  and  consoling.  I  could  not 
cry.  My  heart  seemed  turned  to  stone,  yet  our 
grief  was  very  quiet,  as  it  was  under  control,  for 
here  were  mission  children  and  outside  people  to 
look  after. 

"Soon  a  large  company  of  people  gathered  upon 
the  piazza  and  had  we  made  any  loud  manifesta- 
tions, there  would  have  been  an  awful  outcry,  for 
when  any  one  dies  here  there  is  loud  wailing,  tear- 
ing of  hair,  etc.  Baker  said  yesterday  that  one  of 
the  old  women  said,  'Now,  if  this  were  in  the  coun- 
try land — native  custom — they  would  be  crying 
loud,  but  the  English  never  cry  loud.'  Two  of  the 
old  women,  her  especial  charges,  came  up  to  me 
and  took  hold  of  my  hands,  weeping  and  sym- 
pathizing. It  has  been  a  bitter,  bitter  stroke  to 
the  boys. 

"Miss  Groenendyke  and  I,  by  request,  washed 
and  dressed  her,  and  by  ten  o'clock  she  lay  peaceful 
and  quiet  on  the  lounge  in  the  parlor.  She  was  in 
bed  only  twenty-eight  hours.     There  were  no  dying 


MEMOIRS    OP    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  215 

words  to  remember,  but  what  does  that  matter  when 
her  life  was  so  full  of  good  words  and  cheerful  acts. 
I  tell  you  I  do  not  think  of  death  as  I  once  did. 
It  is  not  so  terrible  any  more,  and  I  am  more  and 
more  convinced  that  it  matters  only  what  our  living' 
is  like,  and  that  we  ought  to  live  each  day  as  though 
it  is  to  be  our  last,  for  just  see  how  quickly  Miss 
Williams  was  gone.  One  morning  she  was  here ; 
the  next  evening  she  lay  asleep  in  the  mission- 
house  parlor. 

"Do  you  know  that  Frankie's  death  here  was  the 
first  one  I  had  seen  since  Brother  Frankie's,  when 
I  was  a  child  ?  Strange  that  it  should  be  in  Africa, 
and  also  that  my  first  experience  in  preparing  a 
body  for  burial  should  be  in  a  foreign  lanjd. 

"But  deep  as  our  sorrow  is,  the  comfort  from  God 
is  just  as  deep.  There  is  such  a  peaceful  xesigna- 
tion,  such  a  drawing  near  to  our  Lord  that  we  can- 
not weep  much.  Heaven  seems  much  nearer  and 
more  real  as  our  abiding  place.  It  is  a  bitter  ex- 
perience, but  I  cannot  make  you  understand  how 
much  it  has  already  added  to  my  life.  I  feel  so 
humbled  by  it. 

"That  same  night  the  carpenters  were  put  to 
work  upon  the  coffin.  In  the  morning,  as  soon  as 
the  coffin  was  finished,  Mrs.  Miller  and  Miss 
Groenendyke  covered  it  neatly  with  white  muslin, 
making  a  neat  pillow  and  cushion  about  the  head 
and  face.  Miss  Schenck  and  I  covered  the  lid. 
I  thought,  while  we  were  working,  how  strange  it 
would  seem  to  do  such  things  in  America,  and  yet 
we  found  comfort  in  doing  it,  since  it  seemed 
necessary.  At  twelve  we  went  to  the  chapel,  where 
the  services  were  held.     Mrs.  Thompson  and  Miss 


216  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Florence  and  Mr.  Johnson  were  here,  too.  It  was 
with  aching  hearts,  broken  voices,  and  eyes  much 
of  the  time  filled  with  tears,  that  we  sang  and  Mr. 
Miller  preached.  The  Christian's  way  of  mourn- 
ing in  America  often  partakes  of  the  heathen  cus- 
tom greatly,  as  I  now  can  see,  and  we  wanted  to 
make  the  people  know  that,  while  we  were  sad,  yet 
our  hearts  were  fixed  on  Kim  who  doeth  all  things 
well.  I  am  glad  God  never  makes  a  mistake.  Had 
we  been  consulted  we  'd  have  said  that  any  one  else 
could  be  better  sj)ared  from  the  work  than  Frankie 
Williams.  But  how  little  we  know.  The  work  re- 
mains and  she  is  gone. 

"The  chapel  was  filled — a  beautiful  tribute  to 
her  life  among  the  people,  for  she  was  well  beloved. 
Old  Mammy  Parks  said,  'Mampeow,  ya'  (good- 
by,  lady}.  Another  said,  as  they  do  to  each  other 
when  going  on  a  journey,  'Walk  good,  oh,' 

"She  was  carefully  aud  tenderly  laid  away  in  the 
chapel  yard,  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Ilelmick,  who  died 
about  two  years  ago,  the  first  white  missionary  to 
find  a  resting-place  in  the  United  Brethren  mis- 
sions of  west  Africa. 

"We  shall  have  to  double  up  until  the  Wests  re- 
turn. I  am  to  go  to  the  other  house  now  to  assist 
there,  and  in  my  next  letter  can  tell  you  how  my 
work  has  been  changed.  Miss  Groenendyke  is 
now  at  the  head  of  the  mission.  While  our  hearts 
are  sad,  yet  we  are  happy. 

"Two  or  three  times  I  wished  I  could  slip  into 
the  sitting-room  for  a  few  minutes  to  talk  over 
things  with  you  all,  but  that  is  gone  now  and  we 
are  ourselves  again.  Even  sorrow  can  hallow 
mojt  sweetly. 


k.:#^ 


MEMOIRS    OP    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  217 

"I  hesitated  some  as  to  whether  I  should  write 
you  in  detail  as  I  do,  but  I  thought  you  would  feel 
better  to  hear  all.  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  more 
uneasy  about  me,  but  I  do  not  think  that  is  neces- 
sary, for  I  feel  that  we  are  even  safer  than  before, 
for  we  shall  pay  closer  attention  to  ailments  and 
medical  remedies,  Frankie  took  very,  very  little 
^nedicine.  Miss  Hatfield  says  we  need  the  quinine 
to  counteract  the  malaria,  for  even  before  we  feel 
it,  it  can  accumulate.  She  thinks  it  was  the  accu- 
mulated malaria  that  carried  away  Frankie. 

"I  hope  to  have  more  cheerful  news  to  give  you 
in  my  next  letter.  This  is  only  one  of  the  trials 
in  a  missionary's  life;  but  after  all  I  would  not 
exchange  my  lot  for  any  other.  I  am  far  happier 
here,  because  I  feel  that  this  is  where  God  wants 
me  to  be. 

"Give  my  love  to  everybody.  Your  last  letter 
was  good,  and  I  was  so  glad  and  proud  of  Hal,  that 
tears  of  joy  came  in  my  rejoicing. 

"Xext  time  I  '11  say  more.     Love,  love  to  all. 

"Elma." 

Last  Hours. 

Elma  was  taken  sick  just  two  weeks  after  Miss 
Williams,  and  her  sickness  was  of  one  week's  dura- 
tion. During  her  last  hours  she  talked  continually. 
She  left  messages  for  her  family  and  called  eacli 
member  by  name.  To  the  missionaries  she  said, 
''Hold  high  the  banner  of  Jesus  and  bear  it  bravely 
on,"  "God's  promises  are  just  and  true."  She 
called  all  the  mission  boys  and  girls  into  the  room, 
giving  them  good-by,  and  telling  them  she  was  giv- 
ing her  life  for  them,  and  for  them  to  be  sure  to 


218  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

live  pure,  Christian  lives.  She  asked  Mr.  Miller 
to  preach  her  funeral  sermon  from  the  text,  "Watch 
and  pray,"  and  begged  him  to  tell  the  people  at 
Ttotufunk  what  it  cost  to  bring  them  the  gospel  of 
light  and  liberty. 

Thursday,  at  10:30  p.  m.,  x\ugust  7,  1892,  in  a 
far-away  heathen  land,  Elma  entered  into  the  joy 
of  the  Lord.    She  died,  as  she  had  lived,  for  others. 

"Alike  is  life  aud  death, 

When  life  in  death  survives, 
And  the  uninterrupted  breath 
Inspires  a  thousand  lives." 

— Longfellow. 

The  Funeral. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  August,  1892,  the 
little  band  of  sorrowing  missionaries  laid  away  all 
that  was  left  of  their  comrade,  Elma  Bittle.  They 
placed  her  in  the  plain  wooden  muslin-covered 
casket,  while  on  the  lid  was  placed  a  wreath  of 
ferns  and  frangipani,  and  bore  her  to  the  chapel. 
Although  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents,  the  little 
chapel  was  tilled  with  sympathizing  friends.  Mr. 
Miller  conducted  the  services,  assisted  by  Rev.  .J. 
B.  Johnson,  of  Palli.  With  trembling  heart  and 
tear-dimmed  eyes  Mr.  Miller  preached  from  the 
text  which  Elma  had  chosen,  Matt.  26 :  41,  "Watch 
and  pray." 

lie  preached  as  one  inspired,  and  his  word'^ 
made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  hearts  ot 
those  who  listened.  After  the  services  Elma  was 
borne  by  her  boys  (her  request)  to  the  little  God's 
acre  back  of  the  chapel,  and  laid  beside  her  dear 
friend  Frankie. 

In  the  hope  of  the  resurrection  she  rests. 


MEMOIRS  OF  OUn  HEROIC  DEAD      219 

From  one  of  the  mission  boys  to  Seymour 
Bittle : 

"RoTUFUNK  Station,  West  Africa, 

"August  31,  1892. 
"My  dear  Seymour : — 

"I  am  very  glad  to  write  this  letter.  Since  I 
have  written  to  you  I  never  received  any  answer 
from  you,  but  I  did  not  feel  bad  about  it,  for  I 
know  that  your  heart  is  troubled  and  I  know  a  lit- 
tle how  your  feelings  are  in  your  heart.  IvTow  I  am 
going  to  explain  as  far  as  I  know.  One  Sunday 
afternoon  two  of  us  went  to  see  Miss  Bittle.  When 
we  went  she  talk  to  us  good,  and  she  was  well  and 
strong,  and  when  we  were  talking  Doctor  Hatfield 
came  in  and  we  have  good  time.  Then  Miss  Bittle 
said,  'When  I  die  I  shall  want  my  boys  to  bear  my 
coffin.'  Then  we  laugh  at  it.  Then  on  the  next 
morning  she  was  strong  and  she  works.  In  the 
evening  time,  about  three  o'clock,  she  have  a  fever, 
and  one  of  the  young  men  ask  her  if  she  is  sick. 
She  says  'ITo,'  in  a  low  tone.  She  says,  'I  am 
resting  only.'  Then  on  the  other  day  she  was  sick 
and  the  doctor  did  not  allow  us  to  go  inside  the 
room.  Then  on  Thursday  night  she  was  better, 
then  on  Friday  night  the  sick  was  strong  again, 
and  the  doctor  try  her  best  to  help  her.  Then  on 
Saturday  she  sent  some  one  to  call  us,  and  when  we 
went  she  bade  us  good-by,  but  the  doctor  said  she 
will  not  die  yet.  On  Sunday  night  the  doctor  said 
that  she  will  die  in  a  few  hours  more.  When  she 
want  to  die  she  call  us  together  and  bade  us  good- 
by.  When  I  entered  in  the  room  she  c^all  me  and 
said,  'My  dear  boy,  remember  the  words  that  I  tell 


220  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

you/  and  she  die.     When  she  die  three  of  us  sit  in 
the  room  bv  her  until  morning.      Now  I  close. 
"From  your  friend, 

"Bakee  Wyandt." 

From  one  of  the  young  mission  girls  to  Bessie 
Bittle: 

"RoTUFUNK^  West  x^frica, 

"December  2,  1892. 
"My  dear  Bessie : — 

"I  am  very  glad  to  write  you  these  few  lines.  T 
wanted  to  write  you  for  a  long  time  after  the  death 
of  your  sister.  We  love  her  very  much.  We  can'c 
express  how  much  we  love  her,  but  we  love  her 
with  all  our  hearts.  But  it  is  the  Lord's  wish  to 
take  her  away  from  us.  You  don't  know  how  we 
feel  when  she  died,  but  we  all  hope  to  meet  her  in 
that  world  on  high.  I  remember  when  I  was  talk- 
ing with  her  I  said  if  she  is  sick  she  must  not  go  to 
school,  but  when  she  was  yet  in  the  Girls'  Home, 
and  asked  me  if  I  want  another  missionary  to  die. 
The  next  day  she  went  over  to  the  mission-house. 
We  did  not  like  to  see  her  go,  but  we  can't  help  it. 
When  she  went  she  got  sick  and  died  there.  She 
died  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock.  I  did  not 
sleep  until  daybreak.  I  was  in  my  bed  thinking 
what  great  sin  I  have  done  that  the  Lord  put  such 
heavy  thing  on  me,  but  whatsoever  the  Lord  sees 
best  he  will  do  it  to  us.  I  hope  you  well  with  your 
brother.  Miss  Bittle  often  told  us  about  you,  how 
you  would  play  at  home,  how  Seymour  would  leave 
his  shoes  and  you  would  take  them  and  clean  them 
and  then  go  after  him  with  them.  T  often  think 
of  you.     I  do  pray  for  you  always.     Don't  feel  too 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  221 

bad.     If  you  are  good,  you  meet  her  in  heaven. 
Good  night.     My  love  to  all  friends. 
"I  am  your  sister  in  Christ  Jesus. 

"Lydia  Jarvis.'^ 

"The  dear  Lord's  best  interpreters 
Are  humble  human  souls, 
The  gospel  of  a  life  like  hers 
Is  more  than  books  or  scrolls, 

"  From,  scheme  and  creed  the  light  goes  out, 
The  saintly  fact  remains, 
The  blessed  Master  none  can  doubt, 
Revealed  in  holy  lives." 

—  WTiittier. 

Joseph  Gomer. 

BY  REV.   WILLIAM  M'KEE,   D.D. 

This  faithful  servant  of  God,  and  for  twenty- 
two  years  a  faithful  missionary  in  Africa,  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm  near  Battle  Creek,  Michigan. 
But  little  is  known  of  his  childhood  or  boyhood 
days.  He  learned  to  be  industrious,  and  got  the 
rudiments  of  a  common-school  education  in  his 
native  state ;  though  at  that  time  no  colored  chil- 
dren could  attend  a  school,  even  in  the  free  JSTorth, 
without  being  subjected  to  daily  sneers  and  in- 
sults from  the  wiser  and  greater,  so-called,  and 
self-esteemed  of  the  white  children.  On  account 
of  this  tabooing  practice  so  often  indulged  in  by 
the  scholars,  and  not  always  discouraged,  but 
rather  winked  at  by  teachers  and  school  trustees, 
Joseph  attended  rather  irregularly  only  a  few 
terms  of  the  country  school.  However,  he  learned 
to  read  and  write,  and  got  a  smattering  of  arithme- 
tic, English  grammar,  and  geography.     But  this 


222  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONK 

foundation,  slender  and  insutiicient  as  it  was, 
proved  a  mine  of  wealth  to  liini  in  after  years. 

The  next  thing  known  definitely  of  Joseph 
Gomer  is  that  he  is  a  soldier  wearing  the  United 
States'  uniform,  and  sworn  to  support  the  flag  and 
suppress  the  Great  Rebellion,  which  to  him  meant 
not  only  the  destruction  of  the  so-called  confed- 
eracy, but  the  freeing  of  three  and  a  half  million 
of  slaves,  whose  only  crime  was  that  they  were 
black.  As  a  soldier  he  did  his  duty  and  did  it 
well,  patiently,  bravely,  loyally. 

The  War  over,  Mr.  Gomer  started  home  on  a 
steamer  from  j^ew  Orleans,  and  soon  found,  among 
other  passengers,  an  attractive  widow  lady  and  her 
daughter,  whose  home  was  at  Chillicothe,  Oliio. 
The  daughter  was  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  of  ago. 

Before  they  reached  Cincinnati  they  became 
quite  well  acquainted.  Finally  Mr.  Gomer  began 
to  talk  matrimony  to  the  widow.  This  astonished 
her.  She  supposed,  possibly,  he  might  want  her 
daughter,  but  that  he  should  want  the  mother  had 
not  entered  her  mind.  However,  on  landing  at 
Cincinnati  they  came  at  once  to  Dayton,  where  in 
the  Third  United  Brethren  Church  Mrs.  Green  be- 
came !^^rs.  Gomer.  Rev.  J.  D.  Bottles,  of  Miami 
Conference,  officiated  at  the  marriage.  This  was  in 
1865.  Mr.  Gomer  soon  found  profitable  employ- 
ment in  a  large  mercantile  house,  as  foreman  of 
the  department  for  measuring,  making,  and  fitting 
of  carpets.  In  the  church  he  was  always  in  the 
position  of  leader,  steward,  trustee,  or  superin- 
tendent of  Sunday  school,  sometimes  filling  two  or 
three  positions  at  once,  and  he  was  always  the  same 
faithful,  earnest,  reliable  man  in  the  church  that 


MEMOIRS    UF    OUll    HKROIC    DEAD  223 

he  was  in  his  business  relations.  He  believed  in, 
and  practiced  serving  the  Lord  in  the  street,  and 
in  all  the  business  affairs  of  life  as  well  as  in  the 
church. 

In  ISTl  the  Parent  Board  found  itself  in  strait- 
ened conditions  for  laborers  in  the  African  field. 
Mr,  and  Mrs.  Hadley  returned  to  America  early  in 
April,  1869,  and  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  that 
month  Mr.  Iladley  had  gone  to  his  eternal  reward. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Williams,  who  had  long  served  in  the 
capacity  of  assistant,  when  an  American  was  there, 
and  as  sole  manager  when  alone,  had  died  Septem- 
ber 2,  1870.  ,  He  died  in  faith,  and  peace,  and 
blessed  hope.  This  left  the  mission  Avith  none  but 
a  few  native  helpers,  and  they  not  well  qualified 
for  the  work.  Xew  missionaries  were  hard  to  find. 
At  this  juncture  it  was  remembered  that  Mr. 
Gomer  had  been  heard  to  say  that  he  would  be  glad 
to  go  to  Africa  as  a  missionary,  if  he  were  qualified 
for  the  task.  So,  after  casting  about  a  little,  as 
Samuel  did  for  a  king,  and  not  finding  what  it 
wanted  elsewhere,  the  Board  turned  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gomer,  with  the  question,  "Will  you  go  as 
missionaries  to  Africa  ?"  Soon  they  answered, 
"Yes ;  if  you  can  use  us  to  any  advantage  at  all.'' 
Accordingly,  the  executive  committee,  on  the  eighth 
of  Xovember,  1870,  appointed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
Gomer  to  take  charge  of  our  mission  work  in 
Africa;  and  on  the  tenth  of  December,  1870,  they 
sailed  from  ^ew  York,  arriving  in  Freetown,  West 
Africa,  January  11,  1871. 

Arrived  in  Africa. 

To  show  what  we  had  in  "Africa  when  Mr. 
Gomer  reached  the  field  of  his  future  labors,  I  give 


224  MISSION   WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

one  of  the  last,  perhaps  the  last  letter,  Mr.  Hadley 
wrote  from  x\frica  to  the  corresponding  secretary: 

''Our  day-school  is  not  what  we  desire  it  to  be, 
nor  what  it  ought  to  be.  We  have  only  about 
twenty  scholars.  Our  Sabbath  school  has  been 
more  interesting.  This  is  due  principally  to  the 
distribution  of  reward  tickets  and  books  for 
memorizing  scripture.  We  have  one  officer,  three 
teachers, and  twenty-four  scholars, and  5,132  verse^ 
of  scripture  have  been  memorized  and  repeated. 
Six  of  our, best  scholars  have  repeated  3,575 -of 
these.  Our  prayer-jneetings  and  Tuesday  evening 
Bible  class  have  been  very  good.  Five  persons 
whom  we  had  greatly  hoped  to  see  converted  soon, 
are,  for  the  present,  apparently  out  of  our  reach ; 
but  another  one  has  lately  given  evidence  of  dis- 
tress on  account  of  sin."  This  was  what  we  had 
after  fourteen  years  of  effort ! 

However,  when  Mr.  Gomer  arrived  he  was  re- 
ceived with  great  deference  by  Mr.  Caulker,  the 
chief,  and  by  the  people  generally.  He  won  their 
confidence  at  once.  The  chief  had  never  before 
allowed  his  slaves,  or  anybody  else,  if  he  could  helj) 
it,  to  attend  the  Sabbath  school,  the  Bible  class,  or 
the  preaching  service.  But  on  June  15,  1871,  ]\Ir. 
Gomer  wrote :  ''We  feel  very  much  encouraged. 
All  our  meetings  are  well  attended!  At  the  barra 
(court-house)  great  numbers  stand  outside.  Wo 
had  prayer-  and  speaking-meeting  Sunday  night  at 
the  barra,  with  palm-oil  for  lights.  Old  Mr. 
Caulker,  the  chief,  himself  spoke  to  the  people, 
and  urged  them  to  become  Christians.  He  said  he 
prayed  to  God,  and  that  God  has  blessed  him,  and 
that  he  knew  that  religion  was  good." 


MEMOIRS    OP    OUR    HP:R0IC    DEAD  225 

These  extracts  show  what  Mr.  Goiiier  found; 
and  the  favor  he  met ;  and  the  wide-open  door  for 
usefulness  revealed  the  fact  that  the  good  seed 
sown  by  his  predecessors,  though  it  seemed  slow  in 
starting,  was  springing  up  and  promising  a  crop 
in  the  future. 

We  cannot  follow  in  detail  the  path  of  Mr. 
Gomer's  travels  and  labors  during  the  long  period 
of  his  service.  But  we  give  a  few  items  gleaned 
chiefly  from  his  reports  to  the  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Board  of  Missions.  In  1881,  just 
ten  years  from  his  first  beginning,  he  reported : 

"At  Shaingay,  our  principal  station,  we  have 
seventy-five  acres  of  cleared  land,  of  which  ten 
are  in  corn,  twenty-three  in  cassava,  and  six  in 
arrowroot.  There  are  forty-four  cocoa-trees,  and 
5,000  coffee-trees  in  the  nursery  on  the  farm.  We 
have  two  oxen,  five  sheep,  and  seven  pigs,  several 
American  plows,  harrows,  hoes,  spades,  shovels, 
picks,  rakes,  a  supply  of  blacksmith's  and  carpen- 
ter's tools,  three  row-boats,  six  canoes,  and  a  large 
fishing-seine.  We  now  have  twenty-five  boys  and 
eleven  girls  in  our  industrial  school  at  Shaingay. 
There  are  also  thirty-one  common  laborers  em- 
ployed at  Shaingay.  ^  Here  are  the  stone  mission- 
ary residence,  stone  chapel,  boys'  lodging-house, 
blacksmith,  carpenter,  and  tailor  shops,  mission 
store,  and  three  wells  of  water.  In  the  towns, 
Shaingay,  Bompetook,  and  Mambo  we  have  native- 
built  chapels.  At  Shaingay  we  have  fifty-seven 
members  whom  we  can  truly  call  such,  and  ten 
more  to  unite  with  the  church.  At  Bompetook 
there  are  thirty  members,  and  at  Mambo  fifteen. 
Beside  these  one  hundred  and  twelve  members  of 

15 


226  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIKRKA    LEONE 

the  church  there  are  in  the  seekers'  classes  in  differ- 
ent places  one  hundred  and  sixty-four.  Many 
more  would  be  with  us  if  they  were  not  slaves,  and 
couUl  carry  out  their  own  wishes.  The  whole 
country  asks  beseechingly  for  the  gospel.  Yandoo, 
Renibee,  and  Barcoh  are  especially  solicitous  to 
have  schools  and  preaching.  We  -must  go  ahead, 
and  cannot  wait  for  Sunday  schools  (in  America) 
to  come  to  our  assistance.  The  gold  and  the  silver 
are  the  Lord's,  and  in  future  my  appeals  shall  be 
to  him.  Churches  often  disappoint  us,  but  God 
never,  when  we  go  to  him  aright."  These  extracts 
reveal  not  only  the  work  Mr.  Gomer  was  doing 
under  God,  but  also  the  spirit  and  character  of  the 
man.     He  was  full  of  faith  and  good  works. 

To  show  what  influence  the  gospel  was  exacting 
under  the  faithful  administration  of  Mr.  Gomer,  I 
give  another  extract  from  a  letter  written  March 
14,  1881: 

"Yesterday  we  received  five  new  members  into 
the  church  at  Shaingay,  three  men  and  two  boys. 
We  should  have  taken  four  other  men  had  they  not 
been  out  of  towm.  These  men  are  old  settlers  at 
Shaingay  and  are  heads  of  families. 

"Of  the  present  condition  of  the  work  we  have  no 
reason  to  complain.  The  people  behave  themselves 
well.  The  Sabbath  is  well  observed,  not  only  in 
Shaingay  and  the  stations  where  our  schools  are 
located,  but  up  the  rivers  and  in  the  interior  vil- 
lages. When  I  compare  ten  years  ago  with  the 
present  it  does  not  seem  like  the  same  place.  Then 
every  farm  had  its  'medicine,'  and  every  hut  its 
'devil-house,'  its  'twin-house,'  or  its  'sabba- 
house.'     This  latter  is  where  the  spirits  of  the  old 


MEMOIRS    OF    OUR    HEROIC    DEAD  227 

people  are  supposed  to  dwell.  Now  there  are 
many  villages  where  not  one  of  these  is  to  be 
seen.  'Devil-houses'  are  very  scarce,  and  only 
occasionally  do  we  come  across  a  'twin-house.'  The 
future  of  the  Sherbro  country  never  looked  more 
hopeful  than  at  present." 

As  illustrating  and  confirming  his  own  state- 
ments Mr.  Gomer  related  what  a  Wesleyan  mis- 
sionary, stationed  a  few  score  miles  from  Shaingay, 
had  to  say:  ''In  holding  a  conversation  with  a 
heathen  man  (as  I  took  him  to  be)  on  religious 
subjects,  I  questioned  him  thus,  'My  friend,  why 
don't  we  see  you  come  to  the  chapel  on  Sundays  V 
In  reply,  he  said,  'Do  you  think  that  the  few  peo- 
ple you  have  got  attending  your  chapel  are  the  only 
results  of  your  labors  at  Ponto  ISTovo  ?  l^o !  But 
let  me  tell  you  that  you  have  over  four  thousand 
private  Christians,  both  men  and  women,  who  have 
received  the  Christian  religion  secretly,  and  are  no 
worshipers  of  heathen  gods,  but  are  praying  only  to 
the  true  God  of  the  Christians.  They  have  re- 
nounced idolatry  in  their  hearts,  and  have  placed 
their  whole  and  entire  confidence  in  God  and  their 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.  You  do  not  know,  nor  see 
them,  and  I,  who  am  speaking  to  you  now,  am  one, 
yet  you  do  not  see  me  at  your  church  among  your 
people.  Sir,  we  all  believe  that  your  religion,  I 
mean  the  Protestant  religion,  is  a  true  and  better 
religion  than  paganism  or  heathenism,  Mohannne- 
danism,  and  our  sister  worshipers  of  idols,  the 
Roman  Catholics.'  " 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Mr.  Gomer  not  only 
understood,  but  to  a  great  extent,  and  on  wide- 
reaching    lines,  commanded    the    situation.     His 


228  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

limited  English  had  developed  into  a  most  prac- 
tical and  useful  education. 

Mk.  Gomee's  Death. 

After  serving  his  day  in  a  most  honorable  life  of 
service  for  his  Master  he  was  called  siiddenly  from 
labor  to  reward.  On  the  sixth  of  September,  1892, 
there  came  flashing  through  the  sea,  as  from  the 
finger  of  God, 

"JOSEPH  GOMER,  DEAD  !" 

Although  we  kncAv  his  health  was  declining,  and 
expected  his  retirement  from  the  superintendency 
of  our  African  missions  in  a  brief  time,  yet  this 
announcement  brought  great  astonishment  and 
heart  sorrow  at  first ;  but  on  further  reflection  and 
prayer  it  became  a  source  of  comfort  and  joy  that 
one  so  long  faithful  and  so  eminently  useful  and 
successful  in  the  holy  cause  of  Christian  missions 
had  been  called  up  higher,  and  was  given  his 
crown,  which,  no  doubt,  has  many  stars  that  will 
be  his  chief  glory  in  his  place  about  the  great 
white  throne. 

It  will  be  observed  by  comparing  dates  that  Mr. 
Gomer's  term  of  service  in  Africa  measured  twen- 
ty-two years  from  the  time  of  his  appointment. 
During  these  long  years  of  service  he  visited 
America  three  times,  tarrying  only  a  few  months 
at  a  time ;  and  these  intervals  were  spent  in  travel- 
ing about  through  the  church,  making  many  ad- 
dresses, thus  instructing  the  people  and  stimulat- 
ing their  zeal  in  the  cause  of  missions.  His  "out- 
ings," as  he  called  them,  were,  therefore,  simply  a 
change  in  place  and  manner  of  his  work. 


MEMOIRS    OF   OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  229 

He  was,  from  the  first,  thoroughly  consecrated  to 
the  cause  of  missions.  He  counted  not  bis  life 
dear  unto  himself  that  he  might  win  Christ,  and 
on  his  way  win  souls  to  Christ ;  and  he  counted  it 
A  special  honor  to  call  those  who  seemed  farthest 
away  from  Christ  to  come  and  be  saved. 

During  his  last  visit  to  America  he  "set  his 
house  in  order,"  so  far  as  a  man  could,  saying  he 
did  not  expect  he  would  ever  again  be  able  to  visit 
America.  "But,"  he  added,  "it  is  as  near  heaven 
from  Africa  as  from  America ;  and  1  want  nc 
higher  honor  than  to  die  on  the  field  of  my  long 
labors  and  be  buried  alongside  of  Tom  Tucker." 
The  reader  will  remember  that  Mr.  Tucker  was 
one  of  the  first  converts  in  Africa,  and  became 
a  most  faithful  and  efficient  helper  to  our  mission- 
aries. 

When  the  end  came  Mr.  Gomer  and  wife  had 
gone  to  Freetown  to  accompany  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jacob  Miller,  of  the  Woman's  Board,  as  they  were 
about  to  sail  for  America,  and  to  do  some  trading 
for  the  Shaingay  Station.  The  day's  work  done, 
the  evening  prayers  offered  to  God  by  the  two  fam- 
ilies, they  retired  to  rest;  and  in  less  than  an  hour 
Mr.  Gomer  was  seized  with  apoplexy,  and  be- 
fore medical  help  arrived,  though  delayed  but  a 
few  minutes,  the  soul  of  the  good  man  had  gone 
to  God. 

Let  me  add  a  few  words  from  others.  At  a 
farewell  meeting  in  the  Third  United  Brethren 
Church,  on  the  going  forth  at  the  first  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gomer,  in  1871,  Doctor  Thomas,  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Dayton,  made  some 
remarks.    Among  other  things  he  said  :  "The  Lord 


230  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

has  liiglily  honored  this  church.  lie  has  passed 
over  all  these  high  spires  and  fine  churches  and 
rich  congregations,  and  come  to  this  little  church, 
and  selected  a  man  and  woman  and  put  wpon  them 
the  highest  jjossible  honor,  that  of  carrying  the 
gospel  to  the  heathen  in  Africa." 

At  the  memorial  services  held  at  the  General 
Conference,  1893,  Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey  said:  ''There 
is  one  feature  which  Brother  Gomer  possessed 
which  has  not  been  mentioned  here  to-night  He 
was  a  statesman ;  he  was  a  diplomatist.  Before  he 
ended  his  life  in  Africa  he  became  the  umpire  of 
many  a  difficulty  among  the  natives.  He  was  a 
judge,  not  only  in  Israel,  but  among  the  tribes  with 
which  he  was  surrounded.  They  brought  their 
'palavers'  to  him  and  he  had  such  a  thorough  in- 
sight into  human  nature,  and  was  so  skilled  in 
comparing  the  character  of  one  man  with  that  of 
another  that  he  settled  many  difficulties  among  the 
natives  in  Africa,  and  led  them  to  a  higher  and 
better  way,  made  society  better  all  about  him,  and 
gave  them  a  higher  tj'pe  of  civil  government.  In- 
deed it  is  difficult  to  conceive  what  might  have  been 
brought  forth  through  Brother  Gomer  had  he  been 
educated  as  we  find  white  men  about  us  educated. 
He  was  naturally  a  man  of  intellectual  strength 
and  power." 

Mrs.  Mary  W.  Gomer. 

It  may  be  added  that  Mrs.  Gomer  fully  shared 
Mr;  Gomer's  devotion  to  the  work  of  missions  in 
Africa.  She  made  for  him  a  Christian  home  in- 
deed ;  and  that  of  itself  was  an  object  lesson  of 
incomparable  value  to  the  heathen,  where  slavery, 


MEMOIRS   OP    OUR   HEROIC    DEAD  231 

polygamy,  concubinage,  and  other  iniquities  ha<i 
always  been  practiced.  Mrs.  Gomer  was  a  Chris- 
tian woman  of  noble  life  and  character.  After 
Mr.  Gomer's  decease  she  lingered  nearly  two  years ; 
and  though  by  reason  of  age  and  infirmity  she  was 
no  longer  able  to  do  much  effective  work,  her  verj 
life  was  a  benediction  to  the  people. 

But  in  April,  1894,  she  bade  a  final  adieu  to 
Africa  and  sailed  for  i\jnerica.  Here  she  lingered 
for  nearly  two  years,  when  December  1,  189G,  the 
good  Shepherd  took  her  to  the  fold  in  heaven. 

Mrs.  Gomer  was  ill  at  ease  in  America.  Her 
friends  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  had  scat- 
tered abroad,  and  many  of  them  had  crossed  the 
dark  river.  As  the  months  wore  away  she  thought 
and  talked  more  of  Africa,  and  the  many  and 
stirring  incidents  connected  with  her  long  labors 
among  that  people.  She  had  so  identified  herself 
with  them  that  they  were  her  dearest  friends  in  the 
world ;  and  as  the  time  for  her  departure  drew 
nigh  she  talked  of  Mr.  Gomer,  of  Shaingay,  the 
schools,  the  churches,  the  boats,  the  ebbing  and 
flowing  tide,  the  boat  rides  iu  dark  nights  and  on 
stormy  seas.  One  evening  she  had  unusual  trouble 
(so  it  seemed  in  her  delirium)  in  getting  the  boats, 
rowers,  and  other  preparations  ready  for  a  trip 
across  Youra  Bay  to  Freetown,  But  before  morn- 
ing came  the  boat  had  landed  her — in  heaven. 

They  are  not,  for  God  has  taken  them. 


APPENDIX. 


Bishop  Mills,  Superintendent  J.  R.  King,  of  the 
Sherbro-Mendi  Mission,  Superintendent  L.  A. 
McGrew  and  wife,  and  Miss  Florence  M.  Cronise, 
of  the  Bompeh  Mission,  accompanied  by  thirty-six 
black  men  as  porters,  interpreters,  guides,  and 
cooks,  in  the  month  of  December,  1896,  made  u 
journey  through  the  Mendi  country,  going  beyond 
Panguma,  to  Lalakun.  Going  eastward  this  party 
followed  the  path  leading  from  Freetown  through 
Rotufunk,  Kwallu,  Taiama,  Mongherri,  Gobabu, 
Jagbwima  to  Panguma,  Returning,  they  parted 
company  at  Konduma,  Bishop  Mills  and  Mr.  King 
and  their  men  returning  through  Damballah, 
Jama,  Mano,  Jobahun  Gbambaiah,  Mano  Bagru, 
to  Bonthe.  The  other  party  returned  through 
Taiama  to  Rotufunk. 

The  journey  was  undertaken  to  learn  the  proper 
places  for  locating  new  missions.  Valuable  infor- 
mation was  obtained,  and  several  new  points  have 
since  been  occupied,  and  other  strategic  points,  it 
is  hoped  to  enter  soon.  On  this  journey  the  fol- 
lowing points  of  interest  were  given  names : 

1.  Lucile  Falls — A  beautiful  waterfall,  about 
forty  feet  high,  in  the  forest  on  the  right  side  of 
the  path  going  from  Taiama  to  Mongherri,  and 
three  or  four  miles  out  of  the  latter  city.  It  is  the 
most  lovely  falls  met  on  tliis  journey. 

233 


234  MISSION   WOKK   IN   SIERRA   LEONE 

2.  Alfaretta  Cascades,  named  in  honor  of  the 
wife  of  Eev.  J.  R.  King.  They  are  a  series  of 
pretty  falls  in  a  stream  on  the  left  side  of  the  path 
going  from  Mongherri  to  Gobabu,  not  far  from  the 
latter  place. 

3.  Florence  and  Clara  Peaks.  These  are  lovely 
twin  peaks  on  the  left  side  of  the  path  from 
Jagbwima  to  Dodo,  and  about  three  or  four  miles 
from  the  latter  city.  The  one  to  the  west  is 
Florence ;  the  other  is  Clara ;  named  in  honor  of 
Florence  M.  Cronise  and  Clara  B.  McGrew. 

4.  Mount  Mary  (known  to  the  natives  as  Mount 
Kuno),  named  in  honor  of  the  wife  of  Bishop 
Mills.  It  is  on  the  right  side  of  the  path  coming 
from  Damballah  to  Jama,  and  is  visible  much  of 
the  way  between  these  two  cities. 

Since  no  civilized  names  had  been  previously 
given  to  these  objects,  we  hope  that  the  Englisli 
government  will  allow  the  names  we  have  given 
them,  for  all  time  to  come ;  and  that  our  mission- 
aries will  hereaftoi-  call  them  by  these  names. 

RULES  I'OR  THE  PEESEKVATION   OF  HEALTH   IN  THE 

TEOPICS. 

(Taken  from  "Guide  to  Health  In  Africa,"  pp.  151-9,  by 
Surgeon-Major  T.  H.  Parke.) 

Water. — All  drinking  water,  no  matter  how 
sparkling  and  pure,  should  be  invariably  boiled,  to 
insure  its  freedom  from  dangerous  constituents. 
Cold  weak  tea,  without  sugar  or  milk,  is  best  for 
the  march.  Water  should  always  be  dra\vn  from 
up-stream,  and  from  the  center,  if  possible.  Two 
grains  of  permanganate  of  potash  to  the  quart, 
]ni rifles  water.     If  muddy,  use  alum. 


S  ;5if3i£*?i:!i 


APPENDIX  235 

8un. — No  precautions  can  be  too  great  for  pro- 
tecting the  head  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun. 
The  use  of  a  proper  head-dress  and  umbrella,  also 
a  spinal  pad  for  morning  and  evening  sun,  is  judi- 
cious. 

Chills,  draughts,  sitting  in  damp  clothes,  es- 
pecially when  heated  after  violent  exercise  and 
copious  perspiration,  also  cooling  of  the  body  sud- 
denly in  any  way,  are  certain  to  be  followed  by 
fever. 

Sleep  as  far  as  possible  off  the  ground,  and  al- 
ways under  mosquito  curtains  at  night. 

Diet  should  be  plain  ;  meat,  fish,  vegetables,  well- 
boiled  fruitj  rice,  and  cereals. 

Alcohol  during  the  day  is  most  dangerous. 

Tub  in  the  early  morning,  or  at  the  end  of  a 
march,  before  cooling ;  never  while  digestion  is  go- 
ing on,  and  always  tepid,  if  possible. 

Camp. — Select  highland  plateau  near  water  sap- 
ply.  Don't  disturb  the  soil.  Avoid  ravines. 
Never  to  leeward  of  a  swamp,  unless  separated  by 
a  belt  of  trees  or  a  river.  Site  of  latrine  should  be 
selected  immediately  on  halting,  and  covered  with 
a  hurdle  and  sods  so  as  to  exclude  flies,  as  they  con- 
vey poison.  Leave  only  a  few  openings,  each  about 
one  foot  square.  Directly  tent  is  pitched,  hoe  a 
gutter  close  to  the  walls. 

Cleanliness. — Hair  should  be  cut  short. 

Clothing. — The  bodily  temperature  should  be 
kept  as  equable  as  possible.  Loosely-fitting  woolen 
clothes  are  preferable.  Light  kamnrband  should 
be  worn  day  and  night.  On  halting  after  a  march, 
put  on  a  \\Tapper  so  as  to  cool  gradually.  Get 
under  cover,  and  change,  if  possible. 


236  MISSION    WORK    IN   SIERRA    LEONE 

IRed  Pepper. — Eat  plentifully  with  food,  as  a 
preventive  of  malarial  fever.] 

BOOKS  OF  EEFERENCE. 

On  Africa  in  General. — "Africa,"  two  volumes. 
Keane.  "Actual  Africa,"  Vincent.  "The  Parti- 
tion of  Africa,"  Keltic.  "The  Geography  of 
Africa,"  Heawood.  "In  Darkest  Africa,"  Stanley. 
"Tropical  Africa,"  Drumniond. 

On  Sierra  Leone. — "Sierra  Leone  After  One 
Hundred  Years,"  Ingham.  "Travels  in  West 
Africa,"  Kingsley.  "Sketches  of  the  Forestry  in 
West  Africa,"  Moloney.  "A  Lone  Woman  in 
Africa,"  McAllister. 

On  Our  Alissions  in  Sierra  Leone. — "Thompson 
in  Africa."  "Sherbro  Mission,  West  Africa," 
McKee.     "Our  Missionary  Work,"  Flickinger. 

The  Best  Small  Work  on  Africa. — "Africa 
Waiting,"  Thornton. 


MISSIONARIES   SENT  TO  AFRICA  BY  PARENT 
BOARD. 

W.  J.  Shuey — January  5,  1855,  to  June  15, 
1855. 

Daniel  Kumler — January  5,  1855,  to  June  15, 
1855. 

D.  K.  Flickinger — January  5,  1855,  to  May  1, 
1857;  December  1,  1861,  to  April  15,  1862. 

W.  B.  Witt— December  8,  1856,  to  June  25, 
1858. 


APPENDIX  237 

J.  K.  Billheimer— December  1,  1856,  to  Febni- 
nry  19,  1S58;  February  1,  1861,  to  May  1,  1864. 
Mrs.  J.  K.  Billheimer — February   1,  1861,  to 

.\[ay  1,  1864. 

C.  O.  Wilson— April  25,  1860,  to^  August  11, 

1861. 

O.  Hadley— October    22,    1866,  to    April  15, 

1869. 

Mrs.  A.  Mahala  Hadley— October  22,  1866,  to 
April  15,  1869;  October  25,  1871,  to  June  22, 
1874. 

Joseph  Gomer — :N'ovember  8,  1870,  to  [N'ovem- 
ber  1,  1875 ;  November  1,  1876,  to  April  1,  1889 ; 
November  15,  1889,  died  September  6,  1892. 

Mary  Gomer — November  8,  1870,  to  Novem- 
ber 1,  1875 ;  November  1,  1876,  to  April  1,  1889 ; 
November  15,  1889,  to  May  1,  1894. 

J.  A.  Evans— October  25,  1871,  to  August  15, 
1873 ;  April  15,  1875,  still  in  field. 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Evans— April  15,  1875,  still  in  field. 

Peter  Warner— October  19,  1872,  to  July  20, 
1874. 

Mrs.  Peter  Warner— October  19,  1872,  to  April 
30,  1873. 

Joseph  Wolf— November  14,  1874,  to  March  1, 
1878. 

Miss  Lizzie  Bo^vman — November  15,  1876,  to 
December  10,  1877. 

Daniel  F.  Wilberforce— November  6,  1878,  to 
May  1,  1885;  September  18,  1886,  still  in  field. 

Mrs.  Lizzie  Wilberforce — November  6,  1878,  to 
Mav  1,  1885;  September  IS.  1886,  still  in  field. 

J.  M.  Lesher— October  6,  1883,  to  July  9, 1885  ; 
September  18,  1886,  to  May  1,  1887. 


238  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Lesher — October  6,  18S3,  to  July 
9,  1885. 

W.  S.  Sage — October  6,  1883,  to  December  4, 
1885. 

Mrs.  W.  S.  Sage — October  6,  1883,  to  Decem- 
oer  4,  1885. 

L.  O.  Burtner— October  3,  1892,  to  April  1, 
1896;  October  1,  1897,  to  June  1,  1898. 

Mrs.  L.  O.  Burtner — October  3,  1892,  to  April 
1,  1896;  October  1,  1897,  to  June  1,  1898. 

A.  T.  Howard— November  28,  1894,  to  May  1, 
1898. 

Mrs.  A.  T.  Howard — N'ovember  28,  1894,  to 
May  1,  1898. 

J.  R.  King — Xovember  28,  1894,  to  February 
1,  1898;  October  1,  1898. 

Mrs.  J.  E.  King — Xovember  28,  1894,  to  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1898;  October  1,  1898. 

F.  S.  Minshall— October  17,  1896,  to  June  1, 
1898. 

Mrs.  F.  S.  Minshall — October  17,  1896,  to  June 
1,  1898. 


WOMAN'S   MISSIONARY   ASSOCIATION. 

TERM  OF  SERVICE  OF  MISSIONARIES   IN 
AFRICA. 

Miss  Emily  Beeken — Autumn,  1877,  nineteen 
months. 

Mrs.  Mary  M.  Mair — October  19,  1879,  to 
spring,  1883. 

Rev.  Richard  X.  West— October  2,  1882,  to 
February  4,  1886 ;  September  18,  1886,  to  March 


APPENDIX  239 

31,  1891 ;  October  1,  1892,  died  in  Africa,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1894. 

Mrs.  Lida  M.  West— October  2,  1882,  to  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1886;  September  18,  1886,  to  March  31, 
1891 ;  October  1,  1892,  to  January  19,  1895. 

Rev.  W.  Sanford  Sage— September  24,  1887,  to 
October,  1890. 

]\rrs.  Esther  B.  Sage — September  24,  1887,  to 
October,  1890. 

Miss  Frances  Williams — October  16,  1889,  died 
in  Africa,  July  19,  1892. 

]\Iiss  Ellen  Groenendyke — October  16,  1889,  to 
March  16,  1893. 

Rev.  Jacob  Miller — ISTovember,  1890,  to  Oc- 
tober, 1892. 

Mrs.  Ella  Miller — November,  1890,  to  October, 
1892. 

Doctor  Marietta  Hatiield — September  23  1891, 
to  October  29,  1895 ;  October  1,  1897,  massacred 
May  3,  1898. 

Miss  Elma  Bittle — September  23,  1891,  died  in 
Africa,  August  7,  1892. 

Miss  Ella  Schenck — September  23,  1891,  to 
January  19,  1895 ;  October  1,  1897,  massacred 
May  3,  1898. 

Miss  Lydia  Thomas — October  1,  1892,  to  Jan- 
uary 19,  1895. 

Rev.  Isaac  Wewton  Cain — October  1,  1892,  to 
June  6,  1896;  October  1,  1897,  massacred  May 
3,  1898. 

Mrs.  Mary  Mutch  Cain — October  1,  1892,  to 
June  6,  1896;  October  1,  1897,  massacred  May  3. 
1898. 


240  MISSION    WORK    IN    SIERRA    LEONE 

Miss  Florence  M.  Cronise — November  28,  1894, 
to  May  10,  1898. 

Miss  Minnie  E.  Eaton — November  28,  1894,  to 
May  10,  1898. 

Dr.  Mary  C.  Archer — December  7,  1895,  mas- 
sacred May  3,  1898. 

Rev.  Lowry  A.  McGrew — March  28, 1896,  mas- 
sacred May  8,  1898. 

Mrs.  Clara  B.  McGrew— March  28,  1896,  mas- 
sacred May  8,  1898. 

Mr.  Arthur  A.  Ward— October  1,  1897,  to  May 

5,  1898. 


INDEX, 


Aden,  Gxtlv  or,  13. 
Africa,  location  of,  13. 

size  of,  13. 

relief,  14. 

white  population  of,  23. 

natives  of,  24, 

six  great  curses  of,  30. 
African  fever,  71. 
Agulhas,  Cape,  14. 
Albert  Edward,  Lake,  15. 
Albert,  Lake,  15. 
Alfaretta  Cascades,  234. 
Alligator  Society,  69. 
American  Missionary  Association,  73. 

work  of  turned  over  to  United  Brethren  Church,  77. 

$300,000  expended  by,  78. 
Amharic  language,  26. 
Animals,  18,  40. 
Ants,  18. 
Appendix,  233. 
Arabic,  26. 
Archer,  Dr.  Mary,  127, 180,  240. 

life  of,  150. 

letter  of,  93. 
Attack,  Plan  of,  123. 
Avery,  property  at,  126. 

Bangweolo,  Lake,  15. 

Bantu,  24,  27. 
Barra,  a,  60,  224. 

16  241 


242  INDEX 

Beeken,  Miss  Emily,  first  Woman's  Missionary  Associa- 
tion missionary,  77,  238. 
Berber,  25. 

Berlin  Conference,  19. 
Bethany  Cottage,  46, 161, 168. 
Bible,  36. 

Billheimer,  J.  K.,  74,  78,  237. 
Billbeimer,  ]Mrs.  J.  K.,  237. 
Bittle,  Miss  Elma,  loG,  162,  201,  239 

life  of,  203. 

letters  from,  208. 

last  hours  of,  217. 

funeral  of,  218. 
Blood,  not  on  his  hands,  143. 
Bompeh  District,  80. 

mission,  141,  183. 
Bonipetook,  225. 
Bon,  Cape,  13. 
Bonthe,  school  at,  43. 

property  at,  126. 
Books  of  Reference,  236. 
Bowman,  Lizzie,  237. 
Boys'  home,  175,  192. 
Brick,  making  of,  14u. 
British  Central  Africa,  20. 
British  East  Africa,  20. 
British  rule  beneficent,  67. 
Brussels  Conference,  33. 
Bulloms,  47. 

Bundoo,  the,  68, 110,  175. 
Burglars,  88. 

Burning  of  mission  buildings,  126. 
Burtner,  L.  O.,  121,  238. 
Burtner,  Mrs.  L.  O.,  238. 
Bushmen,  24,  27. 

Cain,  Rev.  I.  N.,  127,  131,  138,  160,  171,  179,  180,  239. 
personal  impressions  of,  139. 


INDEX  243 

Cain,  Mary  Elizabeth  Mutch,  144,  239. 

Canaries,  14. 

Cannibalism,  eflforts  to  abolish,  121. 

Caravans,  40. 

Cardew,  Frederick,  44,  92,  149. 

Carrying  trade,  39. 

Caucasian  type,  24. 

Caulker,  Lucy,  79. 

Caulker,  Thomas  Neal,  79,  224. 

Caulker,  Thomas  Stephen,  74. 

Caulkers,  history  of,  75. 

Chad,  Lake,  16, 

Childhood  descriptive  of  native  character,  53,  88. 

Children,  the,  99. 

Christianity,  28. 

Christians  in  Sierra  Leone,  42. 

Christians,  private,  number  of,  227. 

Church,  the  United  Brethren,  led  to  Sierra  Leone,  115. 

CivU  service  filled,  90. 

Clark  Training  School,  43,  74,  102. 

library  of,  104. 

course  of  study  in,  104. 

results  of,  105. 
Climate,  of  Africa,  16. 

of  Sierra  Leone,  83. 

definition  of,  51. 
Clothing  of  natives,  57. 
Coal  a  curiosity,  206. 
CoflTee  trees,  225. 
Colonial  lines  being  drawn,  113. 
Conference  appointments  of  West  Africa,  80. 
Conference  of  missionaries  in  Sierra  Leone,  45. 
Configuration  of  surface,  51. 
Congo  Free  State,  22. 
Congo  River,  15, 16. 
Converts,  6,000,  79. 
Country  doctor,  the,  95. 


244  INDEX 

Criticism  easy,  141. 

Cronise,  Miss  Florence  M.,  105,  160,  240. 

Curses  of  Africa,  30. 

Customs  of  natives,  56. 

religious,  61. 

legal,  64. 

Daddy  Queen,  207. 
Dances,  of  religious  significance,  63. 
Dancing,  70,  110. 
for  dead,  175. 
Dangers  of  the  work,  86. 
Dead,  superstitions  concerning  the,  111. 
Deaths  of  missionaries,  few,  84. 
Devil  bush,  95. 
Devil  house,  62,  95,  226,  227. 
Devils,  95,  110. 
Diamonds,  19. 

Difficulties  of  the  work,  83,  86. 
Drury,  Prof.  A.  W.,  on  import  of  the  massacre,  128. 

Eaton,  Minnie,  102,  240. 

Egypt,  20. 

Egyptian,  25. 

Empire,  contention  for,  117. 

England,  possessions  of,  20. 

Environment  as  aflecting  society,  51. 

Ethiopian,  24. 

Ethiopic,  25. 

Evans,  J.  A.,  237. 

Evans,  Mrs.  J.  A.,  237. 

Farming  of  natives,  90. 
Farms  of  General  Board,  81. 
Fauna,  18. 

Feeble  and  deformed  children,  69. 
Fetish,  the,  29,  62. 


INDEX  24.1 

Fever,  African,  83. 

how  to  avoid,  84. 
Field,  extent  of  the,  119, 
Fhckinger  Chapel,  74. 
Flickinger,  D.  K.,  73,  78^236. 
Flora,  17,  41. 

Florence  and  Clara  Peaks,  234. 
Folk-lore,  106. 
Food,  60,  84. 
Freedman's  Mission  Aid  Society,  78. 

$13,000  given  by,  to  United  Brethren  mission,  78. 
Freetown,  37,  44. 

manner  of  life  in,  39. 

a  strategic  point,  113. 
French  possessions,  19. 

population  of,  113. 
Fulah  languages,  26. 
Future,  what  of  the,  128. 

General  Board,  223. 

possessions  of,  81. 

expenditures  of,  82. 

missionaries  and  terms  of  service,  236. 
German  possessions,  21. 
Girls'  Home,  163,  165,  172,  184,  192. 
God,  a  supreme,  29,  61. 
Gold,  19,  169. 
Gomer,  Joseph,  76,  78,  202,  237. 

life  of,  221. 
Gomer,  Mrs.  Mary  W.,  230,  237. 
Groenendyke,  Miss  Ellen,  182,  190,  197,  201,  239. 
Guardafui,  Cape,  14. 
Guilt,  how  determined,  65. 
Guinea,  gulf  of,  16, 19. 

Hadley,  O.,  237. 
Hadley,  A.  Mahala,  237. 


246  INDEX 

Hamites,  24. 

Hamitic  famHy  of  languages,  25. 

Hammock,  only  couveyauce,  85. 

Hatfield,  Dr.  Marietta.  127,  162,  174,  179,  202,  208,  239. 

life  of,  153. 
Health,  preservatiou  of,  in  tropics,  234. 
Heroism,  spirit  of,  not  dead,  118. 
Horses,  not  found  in  Sierra  Leone,  84. 
Hospitality  of  natives,  71. 
Hott,  Bishop,  157. 
Hottentots,  27. 
Houses  of  natives,  59. 
Howard.  Alfred  T.,  119,  238, 
Howard,  May  S.,  105,  238. 
Hut  tax,  122. 

Indian  Ocean.  13, 15. 

Industrial  education  needed,  92. 

Industrial  school,  225. 

Ingham.  G.,  quoted,  92. 

Insects,  18. 

Interpreters,  difficulties  with,  55,  107. 

Italy,  22. 

Jabates,  Lydia,  letter  of,  220. 

Jewish  proselytes,  28. 

Journey  through  Mendi  country,  233. 

Kabyle,  26. 

Kaffir,  26. 

Kephart,  Bishop,  197. 

King,  J.  R,  45,  160,  178,  238. 

King,  Mrs.  Zella  B.,  85,  238. 

Kroomeu,  the,  51. 

Kumler,  D.  C,  73,  236. 

Kuuo,  INIount,  superstition  concerning,  111. 

Kurankoes,  48. 


INDEX  247 

Languages,  25,  106. 

of  Sierra  Leoue,  55. 
Legal  customs,  64. 
Leicester,  Mount,  46. 
Leopard  society,  69. 
Leopold,  Lake,  16. 
Lesher,  J.  M.,  237. 
Lesher,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  238. 
Limbas,  48. 
Limpopo  River,  16. 
Livingstone  on  slavery,  34,  35. 
Lizard  as  a  bedfellow,  206. 
Lolckohs,  47. 
Lucile  Falls,  233. 
Lybian  language,  25. 

Madagascar  Island,  14,  129. 

Madeira  Islands,  14. 

Mair,  Mrs.  M.  M.,  77,  238. 

Mambo,  225. 

Mambo,  not  in  existence,  50. 

"Mammy,"  207. 

Mandingoes,  48. 

Manufactures  of  natives,  91. 

Massacre,  the,  120. 

Massacred,  list  of  the,  137. 

Mathews,  George  M.,  168. 

McGrew,  Lowry  A.  and  Clara  B.,  127,  160,  161,  179,  240. 

lives  of,  by  W.  L.  Bunger,  166. 

lives  of,  by  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  D.D.,  167. 

anecdote  concerning,  169. 
Medical  treatment,  93,  156,  175. 
Medicine  men,  29. 

Mediterranean  Sea,  13.  ' 

Mendi,  49,  184,  185. 
Meudi  mission,  73. 
Military  road,  46. 


248  INDEX 

Miller,  Jacob,  and  Ella,  ±^9,  239. 
Miller,  Mrs.  L.  K.  132,  159. 
Minerals,  19. 

Minsliall,  F.  S.,  43,  121,  238. 
Miiishall,  Mi-s.  F.  S.,  238. 
Missionaries,  first  ones,  73. 

number  emijloyed  by  Woman's  Board,  77. 

inhospitable  land  for,  113. 

list  of  dead,  137. 

died  in  the  faith,  138. 

tribute  of  Governor  of  Sierra  Leone,  149. 
Missionary  conference,  45. 
Mission  boy,  letter  of,  219. 
Mission  girl,  letter  of,  220. 
Mission  work,  73. 

extent  of  United  Brethren,  79. 

worthy  of  one's  ambition,  117. 
Mission  work  in  Africa,  35. 
Moero,  Lake,  15. 

Mohammedanism,  28,  31,  94,  114. 
Mohammedan  teachers,  evil  iuHuenee  of,  90. 
Money  of  natives,  70. 
Mongherri,  169. 
Morocco,  22. 
Mount  Mary,  111,  234. 
Mozambique  channel,  16. 
Mullen,  Miss,  160. 
Music,  70. 

Names  of  children,  58. 

adopted  by  natives,  76,  142. 
Native  Africans,  24. 
Native-built  chapels,  225. 
Native  teachers,  why  used,  114. 
Need  of  aid,  119. 
Negro  languages,  26. 
Niger  River,  16. 


INDEX  249 

Nile  River,  15,  16. 
Noble  baud,  178. 
Nuba  lauguages,  26. 
Nyassa,  Lake,  15. 

Open  door,  the,  113. 

Orauge  River,  16. 

Otterbeiu  Uuiversity,  189,  201,  204. 

Our  Mai'tyred  Frieuds  (  poem  ),  132. 

Paganism,  29,  30. 

Palli,  revival  at,  196. 

Parent  Board  (  see  General  Board  of  Missions). 

Paris,  conference  at,  113. 

Pa  Sourri,  61,  195. 

Pidgin-English,  53,  107. 

Plantain  Island,  125. 

Poison,  use  of,  64. 

Polygamy,  31,  56. 

Population  of  Sierra  Leone,  42. 

Porroh,  67,  110,  122,  123. 

Portugal,  22. 

Priests,  29. 

Property  of  Missions,  125. 

Protectorate  of  Sierra  Leone,  42,  122. 

Protestant  missionaries,  number  of,  36. 

Quinine,  209. 

Races,  24. 

Railroad,  122. 

Rainfall,  16,  52. 

Recollections  of  massacred  missionaries,  by  Mrs.  Lida  M. 

West,  171. 
Red  pepper  a  preventive  of  fever,  71,  83. 
Red  Sea,  13. 
Religions,  28. 


250  IXDKX 

Religious  customs,  61. 

Reptiles,  18. 

Resurrection  of  body  not  known,  63. 

Rotufunk,  43,  77,  137,  139,  150,  153,  156,  161,  181,  192. 

property  at,  126,  127. 

revival  at,  182,  195. 
Rum,  32. 

international  agreement  as  to,  33. 

Miss  Williams  stops  the  sale  of,  193. 

Sabbath  services,  173,  226. 

Sage,  W.  S.,  238,  239. 

Sage,  Mrs.  W.  S.,  238,  239. 

Schenck,  INIiss  Ella,  127, 156, 157, 160, 176, 178, 179,  202,  239. 

life  of,  162. 
Scorpion,  18. 

Scriptures,  translations  of,  108. 
Secret  societies,  67. 
Semites,  24. 
Semitic  languages,  26. 
Separation  of  missionaries,  87. 
Shaingay. 

at  time  of  massacre,  124. 

schools  at,  43. 

site  of  first  United  Brethren  mission,  74. 

work  at,  225,  226. 
Sherbro-Mendi  district,  81. 
Sherbros,  47. 

Shuey,  W.  J.,  73,  230,  236. 
Sick,  the,  abandoned,  96. 

incidents  of,  97. 
Sierra  Leone,  37. 

animals,  40. 

Christians  in,  42. 

colony,  43. 

domestic  animals,  40. 

educational  institutions,  43. 


INDEX  251 


English  claims  to,  106. 

fli)ra,  41. 

free  uegroes  colouized  there,  106. 

peninsula  of,  38. 

population,  42,  106,  107. 

tribes,  43. 

wars,  127. 
Slavery,  34. 

effect  of  on  labor,  90. 

Livingstone  on,  35. 
Society,  51. 
Somaliland,  20. 
Sorcerers,  29,  62. 

Soul,  survival  after  death,  29,  63. 
Sowers  Home  for  Girls,  99. 

work  of,  100. 
Spain,  22. 
"  Spider,  De,"  109. 
Stead,  on  England's  possessions,  21. 
Stealing,  penalty  for,  66. 
Sudan,  16. 
Sudanese,  24. 
Suez  Canal,  13. 
Sunday  school,  208. 

work  in,  224. 
Superstitions,  94. 
Surgery,  natives  have  no  knowledge  of,  71. 

surgical  instruments,  159. 
Susus,  48. 
Swahili,  26. 

Taiama,  137,  167. 
Tanganyika,  15. 
Temnis,  48,  123. 
Termites,  18, 140. 
Thomas,  Lydia,  239. 
Tigre  language,  26. 


252  IKDEX 

Towns,  59. 

Traiuiug  school,  102. 

Travel,  mode  of,  84. 

Tsetse,  18. 

Tucker,  Thomas,  first  convert,  78. 

Tugwell,  Bishop,  118. 

United  Brethren  missions,  among  what  tribes,  49 

extent  of,  79. 

property  at  time  of  massacre,  126. 
Uprising,  causes  of,  121. 

Venereal,  diseases  common,  71. 
Verde,  Cape,  14. 
Victoria,  Lake,  15. 
Voices  of  natives  poor,  71. 

War,  32. 

implements  of,  124. 
Ward,  Arthur  A.,  121,  127,  160,  240. 
Warner,  Peter,  237. 
Warner,  Mrs.  Peter,  237. 
West,  Lida  M.,  163,  197,  239. 
West,  Ricliard  N.,  141,  177,  202,  238. 

work  of  in  Africa,  180. 
Western  College,  142,  148,  151. 
White  ants,  140. 
White  population  of  Africa,  23. 

of  Sierra  Leone,  42. 
Wilberforce,  D.  F.,  124,  237. 
Wilberforce,  Mrs.  D.  F.,  237. 
Williams,  .T.  A.,  223. 
Williams,  Frances,  177,  239. 

death  of,  209.  , 

funeral  of,  216. 

life  of,  186. 


INDEX  253 

Wilson,  C.  O.,  237. 

Witchcraft,  64,  65,  94. 

Witt,  W.  B.,  74,  236. 

Wolf,  Joseph,  237. 

Woman's  Evangel,  182,  185,  188,  198. 

Woman's  Missionary  Association,  155,  168,  181,  204. 

organized,  77. 

possessions  and  expenditures,  82. 

terms  of  service  of  missionaries,  236. 
Work,  mechanical,  agricultural,  and  medical,  90. 

being  done,  99. 
Wundi  Society,  69. 
Wyandt,  Baker,  letter  of,  220. 

Yates  and  Porterfield,  46,  160. 
Youra  Bay,  125,  231. 

Zambesi  River,  15, 16. 


